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EDITED  BY 

R.  HOOPER  PEARSON 
MANAGING  EDITOR 
OF  THE  GARDENERS' 
CHRONICLE 


PLATE   I  (Frontispiece} 

FIFTEEN  VARIETIES  SHOWING  VARIATION  IN 
COLOUR  AND  FORM 


(By  Hovae&l.  (Brig 

^_X  <^_/  <~x 


NEW  YORK 
FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  CO. 


PREFACE 

ONE  of  the  most  remarkable  facts  in  relation  to  present-day 
flower  gardening  is  the  development  and  popularisation  of 
the  Sweet  Pea,  which  has  gained  for  itself  a  position  never 
previously  held  by  a  purely  annual  species.  The  claim  of 
the  Sweet  Pea,  therefore,  for  representation  in  the  present 
series  could  not  be  overlooked. 

The  author,  Mr.  Horace  J.  Wright,  is  well  known  as  the 
first  secretary  of  the  National  Sweet  Pea  Society,  and  later  as 
Chairman  of  the  General  and  Executive  Committees  of  that 
body.  He  has  been  connected  most  intimately  with  all  the 
circumstances  which  have  attended  the  development  of  the 
flower ;  therefore  his  experience  is  exceptional.  It  is  this  very 
experience  which  induced  Mr.  Wright  to  ask  Mr.  Thomas 
Stevenson  to  contribute  a  chapter  on  the  special  culture 
needed  for  exhibition  flowers,  for  Mr.  Wright's  management 
of  the  N.S.P.S.  exhibitions  has  impressed  him  with  the  value, 
in  exhibition  culture,  of  small  details  to  which  other  culti- 
vators need  pay  but  little  regard.  Mr.  Stevenson's  extra- 
ordinary successes  at  the  competitive  exhibitions  should 

vii 


M363128 


viii  PREFACE 

make  his  advice  invaluable  to  those  who  desire  to  emulate 
his  example. 

Acknowledgments  are  made  to  Messrs.  Dobbie  and  Co., 
who  very  kindly  provided  the  flowers  photographed  in  the 
plates.  All  the  varieties  are  shown  very  much  reduced  in 
size. 

THE   EDITOR. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION   .  i 


CHAP. 


I.  HISTORICAL  NOTES     ....       (.       .        .  4 

II.  THE  THREE  GREAT  GROUPS      ...        .        .  n 

III.  MAKING  NEW  VARIETIES  .       >'•«•''»        .        .  19 

IV.  GENERAL  CULTURE 22 

V,  SEED  SOWING 39 

VI.  CULTURE  UNDER  GLASS 61 

VII.  SWEET  PEAS  FOR  THE  GARDEN          ....  64 

VIII.  SWEET  PEAS  FOR  DECORATIONS         ...»  66 

IX.  CUPID  AND  BUSH  VARIETIES     .        .  *        .68 

X.  ENEMIES  AND  DISEASES     .         .        .      '•>••'/•    .        ..  70 

XI.  FIFTY  STANDARD  VARIETIES      .        .        »        •        •  80 

XII.  IN  THE  LIBRARY .        .  86 

XIII.  CULTURE  OF  SWEET  PEAS  FOR  EXHIBITION       .        .  89 

XIV.  A  WORD  OR  TWO  TO  JUDGES    .        .        .        -        •  113 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE 

I.  FIFTEEN   VARIETIES    SHOWING    VARIATION    IN 

COLOUR  AND  FORM       ....        Frontispiece 

PAGE 

II.  HELEN  LEWIS      .        .        .        .     ;   .        .        .        .13 

III.  EVELYN  HEMUS   .        .        .        "}'-..'    *         •         •         •     25 

IV.  QUEEN  ALEXANDRA .    41 

V.  MRS.  HUGH  DICKSON 57 

VI.  CLARA  CURTIS 73 

VII.  SUNPROOF  CRIMSON     .                                  ...     91 
VIII.  MASTERPIECE 103 


SWEET     PEAS 

INTRODUCTION 

THE  Sweet  Pea  is  the  first  garden  flower  of  the  present 
day.  It  is  found  abundantly  in  the  unpretentious  garden 
of  the  cottager,  the  less  simple  garden  of  the  amateur,  the 
smart  garden  of  villadom,  and  the  elaborate  and  extensive 
gardens  of  the  opulent  and  noble.  In  the  restricted  areas 
called  town  gardens  the  Sweet  Pea  has  its  place,  just  as 
it  has  in  the  more  congenial  gardens  attached  to  rural 
homes.  The  plants  will  not  flourish  with  the  same  ex- 
cellence in  the  enclosed  garden  as  in  those  which  get  the 
benefit  of  pure  country  air,  but  they  will  nevertheless  yield 
a  generous  return  in  any  circumstances  for  the  labour 
and  love  bestowed  upon  them. 

Whether  the  particular  object  of  culture  is  to  decorate 
the  garden,  provide  flowers  for  brightening  and  giving 
fragrance  to  the  house,  or  entirely  for  the  purpose  of  getting 
flowers  for  the  exhibitions,  the  Sweet  Pea  will  rarely,  if 
ever,  disappoint  the  cultivator.  Wherever  the  atmosphere 
is  moderately  free  from  impurities,  the  plants  will  thrive 


2       PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

well,  but  in  gardens  in  the  middle  of  London,  and  even 
in  the  congested  suburbs,  the  Sweet  Pea  is  not  so  happy. 
In  such  situations  the  plant  runs  up  to  the  light  and  seeks 
in  vain  for  the  pure  air  that  it  needs.  It  is  then,  by  com- 
parison with  the  wonderful  freedom  of  growth  common 
in  the  country,  only  a  moderate  success,  but  the  few 
medium-quality  flowers  it  produces  are  probably  more  truly 
admired  than  their  brighter  sisters  from  the  country,  where 
the  sight  of  a  perfect  flower  is  not  rare. 

It  may  be  claimed  for  the  Sweet  Pea  that  it  will  yield 
far  more  blossoms  than  any  other  plant  which  can  be  grown 
in  the  open  gardens  of  this  country ;  that,  in  comparison 
with  others,  it  is  wonderfully  cheap — for  a  single  penny  one 
can  procure  a  packet  of  seeds  which  will  yield  anything 
from  50  to  100  plants,  all  of  which  will  develop  several 
scores  of  splendid  flowers  ;  that  the  demands  it  makes  upon 
the  time  and  patience  of  the  cultivator  are  not  great ;  that 
there  is  no  single  species  that  provides  a  wider  range  of 
colouration,  or  flowers  so  valuable  for  the  adornment  of 
the  garden  over  such  a  protracted  period. 

The  Sweet  Pea  thrives  in  most  parts  of  the  British 
Empire.  In  New  Zealand,  Australia,  Canada,  British 
Columbia,  and  South  Africa  special  exhibitions  are  held 
in  its  honour. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Sweet  Peas  are,  broadly 
speaking,  cultivated  in  all  gardens,  and  thousands  are 


INTRODUCTION  3 

raised  every  year  by  market  growers,  blooms  sent  to  the 
markets  always  meet  with  an  appreciative  demand  and 
remunerative  sale.  It  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  even 
approximately  estimate  how  many  Sweet  Pea  seeds  are 
annually  distributed  in  this  country,  but  facts  that  are  well 
within  our  personal  knowledge  go  far  to  prove  that  the 
quantity  is  probably  in  excess  of  40  tons.  These  find  their 
way  to  the  soil,  either  in  the  penny  packets  of  the  smaller 
amateur  or  in  the  hundredweight  lots  such  as  are  purchased 
by  the  market  growers  who  made  a  specialty  of  supplying 
the  markets  with  plants  in  pots  in  the  early  summer,  and 
with  flowers  later.  Estimating  an  average  pound  of  Sweet 
Peas  to  contain  5000  seeds,  it  is  not  a  difficult  problem  in 
multiplication  to  ascertain  that  this  represents  11,200,000 
to  the  ton,  or  448,000,000  of  Sweet  Pea  seeds  distributed 
every  year  by  British  growers  alone.  Those  who  attempt 
to  realise  what  such  a  number  really  means  will  find  it 
impossible,  but  the  facts  are  that  the  actual  total  is  over, 
rather  than  under,  what  has  been  stated.  And  still  we  are 
determined  to  have  the  Sweet  Pea  more  extensively  grown 
even  than  it  is  in  present-day  gardening  ! 


CHAPTER  I 

HISTORICAL  NOTES 

IT  is  not  intended  to  place  on  record  here  an  exhaustive 
history  of  the  Sweet  Pea.  Instead  of  doing  this,  the  salient 
facts  alone  will  be  brought  into  view,  and  we  shall  then 
gradually  come  to  see  that  although  the  plant  has  been 
grown  in  this  country  for  upwards  of  two  hundred  years, 
to  all  intents  and  purposes  its  history,  as  far  as  the  practical 
man  is  concerned,  has  been  made  in  the  last  half-century. 
However,  let  us  to  the  start. 

In  the  year  1699  there  dwelt  in  Sicily  a  monk  named 
Cupani.  In  his  spare  time  this  holy  man  studied  the  flora 
of  that  beautiful  island,  and  this  flora  included  the  Sweet 
Pea.  Not  that  he  gave  it  that  name.  When  he  sent  seeds 
to  his  English  correspondent,  Dr.  Uvedale,  in  those  days 
a  schoolmaster  at  Enfield  in  Middlesex,  the  unwieldy 
cognomen — or  ought  one  to  say  descriptive  title  ?• — was 
Lathyrus  distoplatyphyllos,  hirsutis,  mollis,  magno  et  pera- 
maeno,  flore  odoratissimo,  purpureo.  If  we  were  required 
to  call  the  Sweet  Pea  by  this  name  in  these  days  of  hurry 
and  scurry  the  flower  would  lose  half  its  charm. 

4 


EARLY    HISTORY  5 

Although  these  are  the  circumstances  which  attended 
the  introduction  of  the  Sweet  Pea  into  Great  Britain,  the 
plant  had  already  been  referred  to  in  botanical  works,  for 
Mr.  S.  B.  Dicks,  who  searched  wide  and  long  to  compile 
the  early  history  of  the  flower  for  the  Bicentenary  Cele- 
bration Festival,  found  it  mentioned  in  the  Histories  Plan- 
tarum  of  Johannes  Bauhinus,  dated  1650-51.  Robert 
Morrison  of  London  mentions  a  Lathyrus  latifolius  annuls 
in  1669,  but  this  differed  from  the  fragrant  Sicilian  flower. 
John  Ray,  also  of  London,  alluded  to  it  as  Lathyrus  major 
e  Sicilies  in  his  Historia  Plantarum,  published  between  1686 
and  1704.  In  addition  to  the  seeds  which  Cupani  forwarded 
to  Dr.  Uvedale,  he  sent  some  to  Casper  Commelin,  and  what 
was,  apparently,  the  first  illustration,  was  prepared  from 
flowers  grown  from  these  seeds.  This  picture  appeared 
in  the  Horti-Medici  Amstelodamensis.  Subsequently  Joannis 
Burmannis,  in  1737,  described  Lathyrus  Zeylanicus,  and 
spoke  of  it  as  differing  only  from  the  Lathyrus  of 
Cupani  in  the  variety  of  the  flower.  Further  experience 
proved  that  they  were  one  and  the  same  species,  and 
from  that  species  all  modern  Sweet  Peas  have  been 
derived. 

Even  in  those  days  the  flower  was  found  to  be  variable, 
and  it  is  possible  that  if  the  florists  had  not  purposely 
selected  and  fixed  the  old-fashioned  varieties  with  smooth 
and  hooded  standards,  we  should  never  have  worried  about 


6       PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

the  variability  of  the  Spencer  type,  but  rather  have  accepted 
it  as  a  matter  of  course. 

It  is  abundantly  clear  that  British  growers  soon  com- 
menced to  take  advantage  of  the  variation  in  the  flowers,  and 
seeds  of  distinct  varieties  were  offered  as  early  as  1793  by 
Mason  of  Fleet  Street,  who  catalogued  and  described  black, 
purple,  scarlet,  and  white  varieties,  and  Painted  Lady.  In 
these  days  we  believe  everything  that  conies  from  Fleet 
Street,  but  in  connection  with  Sweet  Peas  there  is  ample 
grounds  for  wondering  whether  Mason  spoke  the  truth 
about  his  scarlets  and  his  blacks.  We  have  not  got  any 
black  flowers  at  the  present  day,  and  opinions  differ  as 
to  whether  we  ought  to  claim  that  we  have  pure  scarlet 
flowers.  That  is,  however,  neither  here  nor  there,  and  it 
does  not  alter  the  fact  that  evolution  had  commenced.  A 
black-purple  was  referred  to  in  1800,  and  thirty-seven  years 
later  history  records  a  striped  flower,  and  it  was  with 
these  that  James  Carter  of  Holborn,  the  founder  of  the 
present  house  of  James  Carter  &  Co.,  commenced.  From 
this  source  was  introduced  a  little  later  a  "yellow"  flower, 
but  it  may  safely  be  assumed  that  to  find  the  yellow  in 
it  demanded  as  much  imagination  as  it  does  to  find  the 
yellow  in  present-day  varieties. 

In  1860  the  first  edged  variety  appeared  ;  it  was  called 
Blue  Hybrid,  was  brought  to  light  by  Major  Trevor  Clarke, 
and  was  said  to  be  the  result  of  a  cross  between  a  white 


HENRY    ECKFORD'S    WORK         7 

variety  and  Lathyrus  inagellanicus,  but  it  never  bore  evi- 
dence of  hybridity.  The  variety  received  the  honour  of  a 
first-class  certificate  from  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society 
as  recently  as  1883.  This  was  not  the  first  Sweet  Pea  that 
was  recognised  by  the  R.H.S.,  as  its  Floral  Committee  had 
already  given  a  similar  award  to  Scarlet  Invincible  eighteen 
years  previously.  At  about  this  time,  between  1860  and 
1870,  many  new  Sweet  Peas  were  introduced,  and  cultivators 
did  not  concentrate  their  energies  on  colour  alone,  but  were 
actively  endeavouring  to  improve  the  size,  substance,  and 
form  of  the  flower.  Continental  as  well  as  home  raisers 
were  at  work,  and  the  firm  of  Carter  was  always  promi- 
nently to  the  fore. 

After  the  year  1880  varieties  followed  each  other  in 
quick  succession,  and  the  interest  in  the  flower  steadily 
increased.  Noble,  Cooper  &  Bolton,  the  predecessors  of  the 
present  firm  of  Cooper,  Taber  &  Co.,  Ltd. ;  Cattell,  Wester- 
ham  ;  Sutton  &  Sons,  Reading  ;  Hurst  &  Son,  Houndsditch  ; 
and  Thomas  Laxton,  Bedford,  all  played  successful  hands. 
But  their  results  paled  into  insignificance  later,  owing  to  Eck- 
ford's  introductions.  Henry  Eckford  commenced  in  1870  at 
Sandywell,  Gloucester,  and  henceforth  devoted  his  life  to 
the  development  of  the  Sweet  Pea.  His  success  was  so  re- 
markable that  he  raised  the  Sweet  Pea  from  the  position  of 
an  ordinary  flower  to  one  of  primary  importance.  Eckford 
undoubtedly  made  the  Sweet  Pea  a  general  favourite,  and 


8       PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

the  Sweet  Pea  made  the  name  of  Eckford  as  music  to  the 
ears  of  all  who  love  flowers. 

His  first  great  success  was  Bronze  Prince,  but  he  had 
not  then  learned  all  there  was  to  be  learned  in  regard 
to  fixity.  The  variety  was  so  inconstant  that  it  failed  to 
retain  its  popularity  for  so  long  a  period  as  it  should  have 
done,  for  in  all  other  respects  the  flower  was  excellent. 
Once  on  the  high  road,  Henry  Eckford  never  left  it.  Year 
after  year  fresh  novelties  were  obtained,  the  earliest  ones 
being  distributed  by  others  and  the  later  ones  by  himself  ; 
for  he  left  private  service  at  length  and  established  himself 
in  business  at  Wem  in  Shropshire.  Each  novelty  had  some 
marked  superiority  over  its  predecessors,  and  so  careful 
was  the  great  florist  that,  after  one  or  two  early  mistakes, 
he  distributed  only  such  varieties  as  were  perfectly  fixed. 

Slight  variations  occurred  in  the  named  varieties  from 
time  to  time,  but  they  were  only  such  as  were  to  be  ex- 
pected in  a  flower  exclusively  propagated  from  seeds,  and 
produced  by  cross-fertilisation  based  on  no  clearly  defined 
lines.  Now  the  raisers  have  Mendel's  laws  of  inheritance 
to  guide  them,  and  they  should  be  able  to  produce  some 
wonderful  results  ;  but  whatever  is  done,  the  name  of  Henry 
Eckford  will  stand  for  ever  above  all  other  names  in  con- 
nection with  the  development  of  the  Sweet  Pea.  The  Eck- 
fordian  varieties  showed  advancement  in  substance,  size, 
form,  fragrance,  and  colour,  for  it  seemed  to  be  a  point  of 


"COUNTESS    SPENCER"  9 

honour  that  no  one  attribute  should  be  exploited  at  the 
expense  of  others. 

With  the  institution  of  the  National  Sweet  Pea  Society 
in  1900  many  other  raisers  came  into  prominence,  and 
they  have  done  excellent  work  since  that  time.  Novelties 
succeeded  novelties  in  unbroken  sequence,  and  while  some 
were  given  names  to  which  they  were  not  entitled,  being 
insufficiently  distinct  from  others,  or  lacking  good  qualities 
themselves,  the  majority  merited  the  popularity  to  which 
they  attained. 

Eckford  and  his  contemporaries  achieved  wonders,  but 
all  their  varieties  had  smooth  or  hooded  standards,  there- 
fore when  Silas  Cole,  gardener  to  Earl  Spencer,  Althorp 
Park,  Northampton,  showed  a  shell-pink  variety  with  waved 
standards  and  wings,  at  an  exhibition  at  the  Royal  Aquarium 
in  1901,  the  Sweet  Pea  world  simply  lost  its  head  in  amaze- 
ment. Here,  indeed,  was  something  different  from,  and 
infinitely  more  beautiful  than,  anything  that  had  yet  been 
seen.  Silas  Cole  was  worried  nearly  out  of  his  life  for 
seeds,  but  eventually  the  stock  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Robert  Sydenham,  who,  in  response  to  persistent  agitation, 
was  induced  to  distribute  the  variety  before  it  had  been 
properly  fixed,  and  it  was  that  error  which  has  led  us 
into  so  many  pitfalls  since.  Had  Countess  Spencer  been 
properly  fixed  prior  to  distribution,  it  is  well  within  the 
bounds  of  possibility  that  the  trueness  that  had  come, 


io     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

owing  to  the  efforts  of  Henry  Eckford,  to  be  expected  from 
every  Sweet  Pea,  would  have  continued.  This  was  not  to 
be,  however,  and  the  consequent  variability  has  been  the 
cause  of  many  heartburnings  and  many  regrets.  We  yearn 
now  for  the  dawn  of  that  bright  day  when  cultivators  shall 
know  that  when  they  sow  seeds  there  will  be  some  certainty 
as  to  the  kind  of  flower  they  will  produce,  not  in  the  few 
varieties,  as  is  the  case  at  present,  but  in  the  many,  as  was 
the  case  in  former  years. 

Much  as  we  should  like  to  do  so,  we  find  it  impossible 
to  name  all  those  who  have  done  good  work  in  -developing 
the  modern  Sweet  Pea.  Let  them  continue  their  praise- 
worthy efforts,  for  the  possibilities  of  the  flower  are  not 
yet  exhausted.  Another  epoch  will  presently  open  with  as 
distinct  a  break  from  the  Spencers  as  this  type  was  from 
the  older  forms,  and  its  fresh  charms  will  make  it  heartily 
welcome. 


CHAPTER   II 
THE   THREE   GREAT  GROUPS 

IT  will  be  of  interest  to  call  special  attention  to  the  three 
groups  into  which  the  varieties  of  Sweet  Peas  may  be  said 
to  be  divided,  and  to  relate  the  main  points  of  difference 
between  them.  The  original  Sweet  Pea  was  a  bicolor 
flower,  and  it  usually  carried  two  blooms  on  each  stem ; 
the  standards  were  generally  erect  and  flat,  the  wings 
smooth,  and  the  segments  of  the  keel  were  invariably  closed, 
thus  rendering  cross-fertilisation  by  natural  agencies  a 
remote  possibility.  Later,  in  the  same  group,  there  came 
varieties  that  differed  only  in  colour,  while  still  others 
varied  in  the  shape  of  the  standard.  There  were  many 
that  hooded  their  standards,  such,  to  mention  a  typical 
example,  as  the  supremely  beautiful  Lady  Grisell  Hamilton. 
Another  variatipn  took  the  form  of  throwing  back  the 
margins  of  the  standards,  but  this  rather  detracted  from  the 
attractiveness  of  the  flower,  with  the  result  that  compara- 
tively few  of  these  attained  to  any  marked  degree  of  popu- 
larity. A  further  difference  was  seen  in  the  fact  that  the 
standards  of  many  varieties  had  a  notch  at  the  top,  and  the 


12     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

smoothness  of  the  unbroken  roundness  was  destroyed. 
This  defect  occurs  even  in  recent  varieties,  and  it  detracts 
from  their  charm. 

Notwithstanding  these  differences,  it  is  safe  to  describe 
the  many  varieties  as  all  belonging  to  the  earliest  or  smooth- 
standard  group,  now  commonly  called,  for  the  sake  of  dis- 
tinction, the  grandiflora  division.  The  hooding  and  the 
reflexing  were  merely  indications  of  some  inherent  weak- 
ness of  the  variety,  and  could  by  no  means  be  claimed  to 
constitute  sufficient  difference  to  justify  the  creation  of  a 
distinguishing  section. 

These  prevailed  until  Countess  Spencer  was  first  shown 
only  nine  years  ago.  In  this  break  away  from  the  normal, 
not  only  was  the  form  of  the  flower  totally  distinct,  but 
there  was  a  structural  variation  of  immense  importance, 
since  it  was  well  within  the  bounds  of  possibility  that  it 
would  affect  the  constancy  of  the  variety  or  varieties. 
The  difference  of  form  was  all  for  the  better.  The  rigid 
outline  of  the  smooth  standard  was  broken,  and  we  had  a 
bloom  in  which  the  standards  were  waved  in  an  elegant 
and  attractive  manner  and  the  wings  showed  the  same 
exquisite  characteristic,  and  the  flower  became  popular 
even  before  it  was  generally  known,  so  enthusiastic  were 
contemporary  writers  in  their  comments  and  praises. 

In  one  respect  this  group  shows  some  inferiority  in 
comparison  with  the  old,  smooth  flowers.  When  the 


PLATE   II 
HELEN  LEWIS 


THE    SPENCER    GROUP  15 

• 

plants  are  cultivated  on  over-rich  land,  this  graceful  wavi- 
ness,  which  all  admire,  becomes  an  ungainly  floppiness 
that  completely  spoils  the  bloom ;  an  overfed,  smooth 
flower  might  appear  slightly  coarse,  but  it  never  assumed 
such  an  aspect  as  the  waved  standards  in  similar  circum- 
stances. The  remedy  is,  of  course,  obvious.  Do  not  so 
unintelligently  manure  the  soil,  and  subsequently  feed  the 
plants,  that  they  will  produce  flowers  that  have  these  de- 
fects, which  are  sufficient  to  ruin  the  plants  as  well  when 
grown  for  garden  embellishment  as  for  exhibition. 

Turning  now  to  the  structural  difference,  it  has  been 
said  already  that  when  the  keel  closely  enclosed  the  essen- 
tial organs,  this  circumstance  reduced  to  a  minimum  the 
probabilities  of  natural  agencies  stepping  in  and  causing 
cross-fertilisation.  In  the  Spencer  group,  to  which  atten- 
tion is  now  being  directed,  the  segments  of  the  keel  expand 
and  the  organs  protrude.  This  characteristic  constitutes 
the  distinguishing  feature  of  the  varieties  as  compared  with 
those  of  the  Unwin  type,  to  which  reference  will  be  made 
in  due  course. 

Good  judges  differ  as  to  whether  this  peculiarity  has  or 
has  not  affected  the  stability  of  varieties.  Certain  it  is  that, 
despite  all  the  efforts  which  have  been  made,  perfect  fixa- 
tion of  these  varieties  is  still  a  more  or  less  doubtful  quan- 
tity. On  the  contrary,  there  are  some  varieties  which  are 
absolutely  of  Spencer  form  that  have  scarcely  varied  in 


16     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

the  smallest  degree  since  they  were  first  distributed.  The 
little  differences  that  have  occurred  have  been  on  all-fours 
with  those  that  characterised  the  smooth-standard  group 
half  a  century  or  more  ago.  There  are  those  who  affirm 
that  the  fact  of  the  seed  of  Countess  Spencer  having  been 
originally  grown  in  bulk  in  California  was  the  whole  and 
sole  cause  of  its  unreliability ;  but  there  cannot  be  much 
in  this  argument,  for  other  varieties  which  have  also  been 
grown  there  are  true  to  all  intents  and  purposes. 

It  is  on  record  that  Henry  Eckford  devoted  several  years 
to  the  fixation  of  smooth-standard  varieties  before  introduc- 
ing them,  and  that  Messrs.  Sutton  had  their  variety  Butterfly 
in  the  nurseries  for  many  seasons  before  they  put  it  into 
commerce,  simply  because  they  could  not  get  it  to  remain 
constant ;  and  other  raisers  have  had  similar  experience. 
Thus  the  conclusion  is  almost  forced  upon  us  that  had 
Countess  Spencer  been  held  back  for  a  period  it  would 
have  saved  all  the  trouble.  Countess  Spencer  was  a  seminal 
variation  from  Prima  Donna. 

Some  varieties  that  were  notoriously  bad  when  first 
sent  out  have  been  enormously  improved,  but  there  are 
others,  and  Audrey  Crier  may  be  mentioned  as  a  well- 
known  example,  which  it  appears  impossible  to  persuade 
to  come  true,  or  even  to  improve.  Although  this  variety 
has  been  selected  and  re-selected  year  after  year,  it  is  as 
unreliable  as  ever,  and  must  never  be  expected  to  yield 


THE    UNWIN    GROUP  17 

more  than  10  per  cent,  true,  whereas  many  sorts  will  give 
anything  from  90  to  100  per  cent,  of  trueness. 

The  third  group  is  composed  of  the  Unwin  varieties. 
The  first  appeared  in  the  same  year  as  Countess  Spencer, 
and  was  selected  by  Mr.  Unwin.  The  difference  between 
it  and  the  smooth-standard  section  is  that  the  standard  and 
wings  are  almost  as  much,  and  quite  as  gracefully,  waved 
as  those  of  the  more  highly  esteemed  Spencers.  The  group 
differs  from  the  Spencers  in  that  it  has  the  keel  quite  closed, 
as  in  the  old  form.  The  group  therefore  comes  midway 
between  the  other  two  groups,  and  had  it  been  placed  on 
the  market  before  Countess  Spencer  and  come  as  true  then 
as  it  does  now,  it  would  have  enjoyed  the  greater  popularity  ; 
but  it  was  held  back  for  fixation,  and  when  this  quality  was 
secured  the  supremacy  of  the  Spencer  type  was  assured. 
The  typical  variety  is  Gladys  Unwin,  which  in  its  day  was 
more  extensively  grown  for  cut  flowers  for  market  than  any. 
other  variety  had  ever  been,  and  the  British  market  grower 
knows  a  good  thing  and  will  not  grow  a  bad  one. 

There  are  many  growers  of  Sweet  Peas  who  would 
willingly  forgo  a  little  as  regards  colour,  and  perhaps 
waviness,  provided  that  they  could  feel  assured  of  fixation, 
and  to  these  cultivators  the  Unwin  group  can  be  strongly  re- 
commended. It  must  be  understood,  in  relation  to  this,  that 
the  trueness  of  Unwin,  as  well  as  other  varieties  in  the  two 

waved  groups,  is  not  by  any  means  guaranteed,  but  simply 

B 


i8     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

that  the  chances  are  substantially  in  favour  of  securing 
a  higher  percentage  of  trueness,  taking  one  variety  with 
another,  not  allowing  the  insufficient  evidence  or  experi- 
ence of  one  season  positively  to  decide  the  matter  with 
the  Unwin  group,  any  more  than  with  the  true  Spencers. 

An  effort  is  being  made  in  some  directions  to  separate 
these  two  groups  for  purposes  of  exhibition,  but  the  expe- 
diency of  doing  so  is  much  open  to  question,  and  it  would 
certainly  place  a  serious  responsibility  upon  the  judges, 
since  it  would  involve  them  in  the  necessity  of  closely 
examining  every  flower;  for,  apart  from  the  difference 
of  the  keel,  there  is  no  other  distinguishing  feature  which 
can  be  taken  as  a  guide.  An  exceptionally  intimate  know- 
ledge of  the  varieties  would  be  helpful,  but  there  are  few 
who  would  lay  claim  to  being  absolutely  certain  of  any 
variety  other  than  the  specialist  growers  who  work  for  the 
principal  raisers. 


CHAPTER  III 
MAKING   NEW  VARIETIES 

WE  have  advanced  so  far  in  the  development  of  Sweet 
Peas,  that  it  may  be  thought  there  is  now  no  ideal  to 
inspire  future  raisers.  This  is  far  from  being  the  truth. 
As  a  purely  elementary  illustration,  it  may  be  pointed 
out  that  we  have  not  yet  got  the  true  yellow  or  the  true 
blue  flower.  Nothing  short  of  the  hue  of  Coreopsis  grandi- 
flora  will  satisfy  the  world  in  regard  to  the  former ;  while 
as  for  the  latter,  we  have  in  our  mind  the  blue  of  Salvia 
patens.  There  must  be  no  hint  that  there  is  nothing  left 
to  do,  so  long  as  we  have  not  these  delightful  colours  ! 

When,  then,  shall  we  have  them  ?  Here  is  a  question 
which  is  easy  enough  to  propound,  but  impossible  to 
answer.  The  Sweet-Pea-loving  public  may  accept  it  as 
an  indisputable  fact  that  modern  raisers  will  spare  neither 
trouble,  skill,  patience,  nor  money  to  achieve  these  objects, 
for  they  know  perfectly  well  that  those  who  are  successful 
will  not  only  reap  a  rich  financial  reward,  but  that  their 
name  or  names  will  go  down  to  posterity  with  that  of 

Eckford  in  the  cult  of  the  Queen  of  Annuals. 

19 


20      PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

Systematic  work  on  clearly  defined  lines,  and  with 
definite  objects  in  view,  is  constantly  proceeding,  as  well 
in  the  ranks  of  amateurs  as  among  professional  growers, 
and  there  is  no  apparent  reason  why  any  one  of  the  former 
class  should  not  achieve  as  good  results  as  a  member  of  the 
latter  class,  provided  that  the  same  care,  thought,  intelligence, 
and  complete  understanding  of  the  task  before  them  are 
brought  to  bear  upon  their  work.  The  professional  culti- 
vator has  perhaps  greater  incentives,  and  in  many  instances 
better  facilities,  for  conducting  the  work,  but  the  amateur 
who  determines  that  he  will  do  his  best  to  deserve  success 
will  have  no  cause  to  regret  his  labours.  Let  him  take 
courage  from  the  success  of  Silas  Cole  with  Countess  Spencer 
and  Earl  Spencer,  of  Alexander  Malcolm  with  Edrom 
Beauty  and  Masterpiece,  of  H.  A.  Perkin  with  the  peerless 
Nancy  Perkin,  of — but  the  multiplication  of  names  will 
not  add  strength  to  our  case  ;  sufficient  have  been  specified 
to  prove  that  the  amateur  raiser  is  already  a  power  in  the 
land,  and  will  become  a  greater  one  in  the  future. 

Before  leaving  the  question  of  raising  new  varieties,  it 
should  be  pointed  out  that  the  unfortunate  lack  of  fixity 
caused  much  thought  to  be  given  to  the  whole  question 
of  cross-fertilisation.  Efforts  have  been  made  to  ascertain 
whether  the  Mendelian  laws  of  inheritance  apply  to  the 
flower.  Mendel  proved  to  the  point  of  demonstration  that 
plants  have  characteristics  absolutely  defined  and  unalter- 


MENDEL'S    LAW  21 

able.  He  knew  that  if  he  crossed  certain  plants  he  would 
reap  certain  results,  and  that  in  the  second  generation  the 
seedlings  would  show  a  splitting  up  into  varieties,  and  he 
was  able  to  state  beforehand  what  proportion  these  variations 
would  have  to  each  other,  and  to  affirm  that  some  types 
known  as  "recessives"  would  be  constant.  As  far  as  the 
Mendelian  laws  in  relation  to  Sweet  Peas  are  concerned, 
Alexander  Malcolm  claims  to  have  proved  that  they  do 
apply.  He  is  a  most  painstaking,  skilful,  and  experienced 
worker,  and  the  results  which  he  has  achieved  have  more 
than  satisfied  him  that  he  is  proceeding  on  the  right  lines. 

The  theory  is  elaborate  and  it  demands  thorough  study. 
Those  who  would  enter  upon  it  should  consult  Professor 
Bateson's  Mendel's  Principles  of  Heredity,  which  is  published 
by  the  Cambridge  University  Press ;  or  the  same  author's 
Methods  and  Scope  of  Genetics.  Mr.  Cuthbertson  contributed 
some  information  on  the  subject  in  the  Sweet  Pea  Annual 
for  1909  ;  and  an  excellent  article,  with  a  coloured  plate, 
appeared  in  the  Gardeners'  Chronicle  for  July  24,  1909. 


CHAPTER   IV 
GENERAL  CULTURE 

IT  has  been  said  that  the  Sweet  Pea  can  be  grown  in  any 
garden  in  the  British  Isles  ;  but  one  would  not  go  as  far  as 
to  assert  that  the  success  achieved  will  be  equally  good  in 
all  circumstances  and  conditions.  Not  only  will  the  natural 
soil  and  situation  have  an  influence  on  the  results,  but 
the  character  of  the  atmosphere  must  also  be  taken  into 
consideration  ;  and,  beyond  all  these  things,  there  is  the 
individuality  of  the  cultivator.  Nevertheless,  the  plant  will 
thrive  and  blossom  fairly  well  even  in  the  most  untoward 
surroundings,  as  has  been  proved  to  demonstration  in  some 
of  the  most  confined  gardens  of  London  and  other  crowded 
cities.  It  is,  however,  imperative  that  the  correct  methods 
of  procedure  shall  be  adopted  from  the  start,  and  fortu- 
nately these  do  not  entail  either  serious  expense  or  diffi- 
cult labour,  though  the  initial  operations  must  necessarily 
be  rather  heavy. 

Let  us  glance  briefly  at  what  may  be  termed  the 
essentials  to  success,  assuming  that  the  plants  are  being 
cultivated  for  the  adornment  of  the  garden  and  for  the 


ESSENTIALS    TO    SUCCESS        23 

production  of  numbers  of  flowers  for  the  decoration  of 
the  home.  With  the  management  of  plants  for  exhibi- 
tion blooms  we  have  nothing  here  to  do,  since  that  phase 
of  Sweet  Pea  culture  is  most  admirably  treated  upon  by 
Mr.  Thomas  Stevenson,  head  gardener  at  Woburn  Place. 

The  most  important  factor  of  all  is  soil,  and  no  matter 
what  its  nature  may  be,  it  is  essential  that  it  should  be 
brought  into  perfect  physical  condition  by  thorough  tilling ; 
it  must  also  contain  an  abundant  supply  of  readily  available 
food.  The  seeds  must  be  sown  thinly,  and  any  thinning 
that  may  be  required  must  be  done  early.  Supports  must 
be  afforded  the  plants  before  they  attain  to  a  height  of 
four  inches.  Ample  protection  must  be  given  them  against 
mice  during  the  time  the  seeds  are  lying  in  the  soil  prior  to 
germination  ;  the  seedlings,  as  they  push  their  way  through 
the  surface  and  until  they  are  at  least  three  inches  high, 
must  be  closely  safeguarded  against  slugs ;  and  efficient 
provision  made  to  keep  birds  of  all  kinds  from  the  young 
plants,  or  they  will  pinch  them  back  to  a  degree  that  will 
cause  the  cultivator  serious  worry  and  result  in  more  or 
less  unsatisfactory  results,  for  the  simple  reason  that  no 
strong  stems  will  get  away.  After  the  plants  have  progressed 
to  such  an  extent  that  the  permanent  stakes  or  supports 
are  in  position  and  buds  are  commencing  to  form,  the 
surface  soil  must  be  persistently  cultivated  with  the  hoe ; 
in  addition,  it  will  be  (desirable,  and  in  some  instances 


24     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

necessary,  to  provide  mulchings  of  good  manure,  while 
water  and  liquid  manure  will  certainly  have  to  be  afforded 
according  to  the  state  of  the  weather  and  soil.  All  this 
may  sound  a  little  formidable,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  it 
is  perfectly  easy  if  a  proper  start  is  made  and  good  manage- 
ment is  practised  at  all  stages. 


SOIL  PREPARATION 

Emphasis  has  already  been  laid  upon  the  paramount 
importance  of  working  the  soil.  It  is  not  only  possible,  but 
easy,  to  grow  good  Sweet  Peas  without  the  addition  of  any 
manure  to  the  soil,  provided  that  a  fresh  position  be  chosen 
each  season  and  that  the  site  was  generously  manured 
for  the  preceding  crop.  In  such  cases  the  ground  will 
contain  a  quantity  of  nutrient  matter  which  mechanical 
working  will  render  available  to  the  plants.  On  the  con- 
trary, injudicious  manuring  would  not,  in  the  absence  of 
soil  working,  bring  about  good  results.  Thus  it  is  seen 
that  soil  working  stands  first  in  importance.  Three  methods 
are  open  for  adoption  according  to  circumstances — (i)  dig- 
ging ;  (2)  bastard,  false,  or  mock  trenching ;  and  (3)  full 
or  true  trenching.  It  may  be  said  here  that  the  third 
system  should  never  be  attempted  unless  the  cultivator 
is  absolutely  certain  that  the  subsoil,  which  will  in  this 
case  be  brought  up  to  form  the  surface  soil,  is  perfectly 


PLATE  III 
EVELYN   HEMUS 


SOIL    PREPARATION  27 

sweet  through  previous  aeration  following  upon  deep 
culture. 

Digging,  a  process  by  which  a  depth  of  12  inches 
of  soil  is  turned  over,  is  good  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  those 
whose  land  is  so  shallow  that  they  cannot  secure  a  deeper 
rooting  medium  than  this  must  not  expect  to  achieve  the 
same  results  as  others  who  have  soil  2  or  3  feet  deep. 
However,  a  1 2-inch  depth  of  thoroughly  friable,  sweet, 
fertile  ground  will  grow  some  grand  plants ;  and  if  the 
flowers  are  not  all  fours  or  fives  upon  a  stem,  and  the 
stems  are  not  all  20  inches  in  length — What  matters 
it  ?  Judicious  watering  and  feeding  will  encourage  the 
successive  production  of  blooms,  provided  that  the  flowers 
are  picked  from  the  plants  either  just  before,  or  when  they 
are  at,  perfection.  In  the  process  of  moving  the  soil,  more 
particularly  if  the  work  has  to  be  done  in  the  spring  when 
the  grower  cannot  have  the  invaluable  assistance  of  the 
weather  as  a  disintegrator,  small  bites  should  be  taken 
with  the  spade  or  fork,  and  the  tool  should  be  driven 
down  to  its  utmost  depth.  This  will  go  far  to  favour  the 
friability  that  is  so  desirable  for  seeding  or  planting,  as  the 
case  may  be. 

In  bastard  trenching,  the  cultivator  is  able  to  increase 
the  depth  of  soil  available  for  the  roots — indeed,  when 
ground  has  been  bastard-trenched  three  or  four  years  in 
succession,  there  should  be  no  difficulty  in  moving  the 


28      PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

soil  to  a  depth  of  2  feet,  and  it  is  commonly  possible 
to  bastard-trench  3  or  even  4  feet  down ;  and  when  this 
enviable  condition  is  reached  there  is  nothing  that  the 
grower  should  not  be  able  to  do  in  the  production  of 
Sweet  Peas. 

The  digging  itself  will  be  as  thorough  in  the  upper  and 
lower  spits  as  when  only  a  single  layer  is  being  moved,  but 
the  original  positions  of  the  strata  will  be  retained.  This 
is  the  best  form  of  soil  working  for  general  adoption, 
since  it  invariably  tends  to  the  benefit  of  the  crops,  and 
in  no  circumstances  whatever  can  it  do  the  slightest 
harm.  In  some  lands  it  will  only  be  found  feasible  in 
the  first  season  of  trenching  to  loosen  5  or  6  inches  of  the 
second  spit  with  a  pickaxe,  but  if  it  is  followed  up,  season 
after  season,  the  depth  of  friable  mould  will  steadily  in- 
crease until  the  maximum  of  soil  is  reached,  and  at  that 
stage  the  grower  may,  if  he  so  desire,  have  recourse  to  true 
or  full  trenching ;  for  the  lower  portions  will  then  have 
become  sweet,  and  there  will  be  no  danger  in  bringing  them 
up  to  form  the  surface  soil. 

It  has  been  stated  that  there  is  an  ever-present  element 
of  danger  in  true  trenching,  unless  the  grower  is  convinced 
of  his  own  knowledge  that  the  subsoil  is  sweet,  and  this 
fact  must  always  be  kept  in  mind.  If  a  soil  is  trenched 
and  it  is  ascertained  upon  completion  that  the  new  surface 
is  so  sour  that  sweetening  is  impossible  in  the  time  that 


TRENCHING  29 

will  elapse  between  the  working  and  the  seeding,  the  best 
thing  that  can  be  done  is  to  commence  again  and  re-trench, 
j  in  which  process  the  two  soils  will  regain  their  original 
positions.  The  operation  will  then  become  more  than  ordi- 
narily laborious,  but  the  worker  will  have  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that,  as  far  as  mechanical  working  is  concerned,  it 
would  be  quite  impossible  for  him  to  do  more  for  his  plants. 
In  true  trenching  the  depth  of  moved  soil  should  never 
be  less  than  2  feet,  and  it  ought  to  be  3  feet  or  a 
little  more.  There  are  those  who  advocate  the  trenching 
of  soil  to  a  depth  of  5  or  6  feet,  but  one  seldom  sees 
this  put  into  practice,  and  it  is  almost  certain  that  the 
amount  of  good  which  the  plants  derive  from  it  is  quite 
out  of  proportion  to  the  labour  entailed.  The  roots  of 
Sweet  Peas  seldom  penetrate  lower  than  3  feet  beneath 
the  surface,  and,  if  they  did,  the  probabilities  are  that  their 
lower  extremities  would  not  possess  any  great  power  of 
feeding.  The  benefit,  then,  would  be  merely  indirect — 
the  root-run  would  be  cooler  and  the  soil  would  remain 
moist  longer  in  dry  periods.  Each  grower  must  exercise 
his  own  judgment  as  to  the  form  of  cultivation  that  is 
likely  to  yield  the  best  returns  in  his  soil,  and  he  can  ex- 
periment for  two  or  three  seasons  until  he  makes  himself 
master  of  the  problem. 

Time  of  Soil  Working. — Not  only,  however,  has  the 
particular  method  of  working  to  be  considered,  but  the 


30     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

time  of  doing  it ;  and  here  again  much  must  depend 
upon  circumstances  which  the  individual  alone  can  know. 
As  a  general  rule,  medium  to  strong  soils  should  be 
thoroughly  cultivated  in  the  autumn  and  early  winter,  and 
the  surface  ought  to  be  left  in  as  rough  a  condition  as  pos- 
sible, to  encourage  the  free  passage  of  water  and  ensure  the 
utmost  advantage  from  the  action  of  frosts.  In  a  climate 
where  the  rainfall  is  heavy  and  winter  frosts  are  not  severe, 
this  system  might  be  followed  by  a  state  of  affairs  that 
would  be  the  reverse  of  satisfactory — instead  of  the  lumps 
being  freely  penetrated  by  frost,  which  by  expanding  the 
water  into  ice  would  force  the  lumps  apart  and  produce  a 
fine  tilth,  the  mould  would  remain  in  a  close,  pasty  condi- 
tion, that  would  require  weeks,  or  even  months,  before  it 
would  be  possible  to  do  much  with  it. 

It  will,  therefore,  be  readily  seen  that  the  grower  must 
largely  draw  upon  his  own  experience  and  knowledge  in 
the  matter  of  soil  working,  especially  where  the  land  is 
heavy,  since  advice  from  one  who  has  no  real  acquaintance 
with  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case  may  easily  lead  to 
disaster.  Let  such  soils  as  are  apt  to  close  down  after 
autumn  working  stand  over  until  the  spring,  and  then  put 
the  work  in  hand  immediately  the  ground  is  in  a  fit  condition. 
The  cultivator  must  exercise  discretion  in  this  direction, 
since  it  is  far  wiser  to  defer  the  commencement  of  opera- 
tions than  it  is  to  go  on  the  land  when  it  is  sodden  with 


SANDY    SOILS  31 

wet,  as  this  would  cause  it  to  be  trodden  down  closer, 
making  it  more  uncongenial  than  it  was  before.  Always 
dig  such  soils  in  small  spits,  and  after  the  cultivation  is 
complete,  seize  every  possible  opportunity  to  break  down 
any  lumps  there  may  be ;  weather  that  is  bright  after 
showers  will  be  favourable  to  this  operation,  and  its  neglect 
will  spell  comparative  failure. 

It  is  necessary  now  to  give  some  consideration  to  the 
light,  sandy  soils  common  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 
They  are  not  as  suitable  for  Sweet  Peas  as  are  those  of  a 
stronger  nature,  but,  as  it  is  obviously  impossible  for  the 
amateur  to  import  to  his  garden  the  particular  soil  which 
is  more  especially  adapted  to  each  individual  crop,  it  be- 
hoves him  to  do  the  best  he  can  with  that  at  command. 
As  far  as  Sweet  Peas  are  concerned,  correct  methods  of 
procedure  will  bring  a  most  generous  reward  even  in  sandy 
soils.  The  conditions  of  success  are  depth  of  working, 
judicious  manuring,  and  consolidation  before  either  sowing 
seeds  or  putting  out  plants.  The  deeper  the  soil  can  be 
cultivated,  the  longer  it  will  hold  moisture  and  plant  food 
in  suspension,  and,  as  a  natural  consequence,  the  longer 
the  plants  will  continue  in  health  during  the  hot,  summer 
months.  But  no  matter  how  deep  the  cultivation  may  be, 
the  desired  results  will  not  be  obtained  unless  the  soil  is 
thoroughly  consolidated,  and  this  must  be  done  by  repeated 
treading  prior  to  planting. 


32      PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

Unlike  stronger  soils,  it  is  sound  practice  to  let  the  light 
ones  lie  solid  through  the  winter,  and  in  many  instances 
direct  good  will  accrue  when  a  few  annual,  surface-rooting 
weeds  are  allowed  to  grow  unchecked  from  November 
until  the  time  of  working  in  the  spring.  Objection  will 
perhaps  be  lodged  to  this  suggestion  by  many  growers,  on 
the  score  that  the  weeds  will  draw  supplies  of  food  from 
the  soil,  and  thus  the  legitimate  crops  will  be  robbed  ;  but 
there  is  really  very  little  in  this  argument.  The  weeds 
will  certainly  obtain  sustenance  from  the  soil,  but  they 
can  afterwards  be  buried  at  least  10  inches  beneath  the 
surface,  when,  in  rotting  down,  as  they  are  sure  to  do  in 
due  course,  they  will  return  to  the  soil  the  food  which 
they  had  previously  drawn  from  it,  and  the  next  crop  will 
derive  the  benefit.  It  is  not  only,  however,  in  this  direction 
that  the  weeds  do  good  in  light  soil,  but  in  the  fact  that  they 
prevent  the  water  rushing  as  freely  and  as  rapidly  through 
as  it  would  do  if  the  soil  were  left  bare,  or  roughly  turned 
up  in  the  autumn,  as  is  advocated  for  loams  and  clays. 

As  early  in  February  as  it  is  convenient  to  get  on  the 
ground,  the  process  of  working  light  soils  should  be  put  in 
hand.  Nothing  short  of  a  depth  of  3  feet  will  give  the 
best  results  with  Sweet  Peas,  and  if  the  depth  can  be  in- 
creased without  very  much  trouble  to  half  as  much  again, 
so  much  the  better  for  the  plants.  It  is  excellent  practice 
to  tread  down  each  spit  as  the  process  goes  on,  since,  when 


SOIL    CONSOLIDATION  33 

the  soil  is  loosened  to  the  depth  recommended,  surface 
treading  will  only  do  real  •  good  in  the  top  9  inches  or 
thereabouts,  whereas  the  consolidation  should  be  carried 
far  deeper  than  this.  The  greatest  care  must  be  exercised 
in  this  matter,  no  attempt  at  treading  being  made  when 
the  land  is  soddened  ;  while  to  start  to  do  it  when  it  is 
as  dry  as  dust  is  tantamount  to  wasting  time,  for  it  will 
not  have  the  slightest  effect.  Choose  the  happy  medium 
between  the  two,  preferably  when  the  condition  is  just 
on  the  dry  side,  and  the  full  value  of  the  process  will  be 
secured. 

In  all  cases,  whether  the  soil  is  heavy,  medium,  or  light 
in  texture,  mechanical  operations  in  connection  with  it 
must  be  completed  by  the  earliest  possible  date  in  March, 
so  that  sufficient  time  may  elapse  between  the  final  digging 
over  and  the  sowing  of  seeds  or  the  planting  of  plants  as 
the  case  may  be.  Thus  with  roughly  dug  surface  soil  which 
has  weathered  through  the  winter,  the  forking  over  to  pro- 
vide the  necessary  smooth  and  friable  tilth  must  be  done 
in  February  and  March,  and  especially  so  when  the  sowing 
is  in  the  open,  for  only  by  getting  the  seeds  in  by  or  before 
the  end  of  the  latter  month  can  the  cultivator  hope  to  obtain 
perfect  flowers  at  the  middle  of  July,  rather  earlier  or  later 
according  to  the  season.  There  should  be  a  depth  of  10 
inches  of  perfectly  friable  soil,  as  this  will  favour  the  satis- 
factory growth  of  the  young  roots.  With  light  soils  let  it 


34     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

be  again  said  that  the  final  treading  immediately  in  advance 
of  seeding  must  never  be  overlooked. 

Manuring*. — Hand  in  hand  with  the  mechanical  cultiva- 
tion of  the  ground  must,  of  course,  run  the  manuring,  and 
it  is  an  aspect  of  culture  that  demands  the  most  intelligent 
consideration.  Although  concentrated  fertilisers  are  often 
extremely  valuable,  they  will  not  do  all  that  is  necessary 
to  ensure  success  with  Sweet  Peas.  These  free  and  deep- 
rooting  plants  must  have  a  soil  with  body  in  it,  and  this 
can  only  be  provided  when  natural  manures  are  employed  ; 
but  with  these,  and  fertilisers  as  supplements,  one  may  con- 
fidently anticipate  satisfaction. 

Precisely  as  it  is  imperative  with  the  mechanical  work- 
ing to  consider  the  time  of  year,  so  it  is  with  manuring. 
The  loams  and  clays,  which  possess  the  power  of  holding 
plant  food,  should  be  manured  in  the  autumn.  The  light 
lands,  which  lack  this  retentiveness,  must  not  be  dealt  with 
until  the  spring,  or  the  probabilities  are  that  more  than 
three  parts  of  the  plant  food  will  have  been  washed  down 
long  before  the  roots  are  actively  working  in  the  late  spring 
and  early  summer  months,  while  by  the  time  they  are 
needing  full  supplies  there  will  be  practically  no  nutrient 
matter  left. 

Assuming  that  the  natural  manures  most  generally  avail- 
able are  farm-yard  or  stable  dung  and  cow  excrement,  the 
former  should  be  chosen  for  the  strong  soils,  and  the  latter 


MANURES    AND    MANURING     35 

for  the  light  lands.  A  clay  soil  requires  opening  up  to  the 
freer  passage  of  water  and  air,  and  horse  manure  contain- 
ing straw  aids  substantially  to  this  end.  If  there  is  any 
choice  in  the  matter  of  manures,  let  that  containing  long 
straw  be  selected  for  clay,  that  with  medium  straw  for  the 
strong  loams,  and  that  with  short  straw  for  the  lighter 
loams.  The  applications  in  each  of  these  instances  will 
presumably  be  made  in  the  autumn,  and  the  materials  may 
be  comparatively  fresh  as  compared  with  those  that  would 
be  applied  in  the  spring,  since  an  autumn  dressing  allows 
abundance  of  time  for  the  manure  to  become  sweet  before 
the  roots  of  the  plants  are  working  freely  in  it.  The 
manure  that  is  worked  into  light  soils,  or  into  others  which 
necessity  compels  the  grower  to  cultivate  in  the  spring,  must 
be  thoroughly  rotted  and  perfectly  sweet  at  the  time  of  use. 
There  are,  broadly  speaking,  only  two  systems  of  work- 
ing in  the  manure.  The  first  is  to  thoroughly  incorporate 
it  with  the  soil  as  the  digging  or  trenching  proceeds,  and 
the  second  is  to  take  out  trenches  and  put  the  manure 
in  these  in  solid  layers.  While  the  latter  method  may 
favour  the  development  of  longer  stems,  it  also  encourages 
a  grossness  that  is  far  from  being  satisfactory,  as  it  shows 
itself  in  the  flowers,  and  often  gives  them  that  floppy,  un- 
wieldy appearance  that  very  nearly  makes  the  Sweet  Pea 
ugly  because  it  looks  so  coarse.  The  worst  manure  of  all 
for  encouraging  this  undesirable  state  of  affairs  is  night-soil, 


36     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

but  excess  of  any  kind  will  lead  to  the  same  trouble.  In 
the  light,  sandy  soils  which  some  growers  have  to  work,  it  is 
perhaps  permissible  to  put  in  a  layer,  6  inches  or  so  in  thick- 
ness, between  the  second  and  third  spits,  but  it  should  not 
be  done  in  any  other  circumstances.  In  all  instances  where 
it  is  deemed  imperative  that  a  layer  of  some  sort  should 
be  put  in  to  arrest  the  too  free  passage  of  the  food-laden 
moisture,  the  preference  might  well  be  given  to  turfs  3 
inches  in  thickness,  placed  rather  deep  with  the  grass  side 
underneath,  and  then  cut  through  several  times  with  a  sharp 
spade ;  these  will  answer  the  purpose  for  which  the  layer 
is  particularly  intended  without  bringing  with  them  the 
risk  of  coarseness.  In  shallow  soils,  where  it  is  impossible 
to  get  down  even  two  full  spits,  the  manure  should  be  laid 
on  the  second  spit  and  then  worked  in  as  much  as  possible. 
In  all  other  cases,  unless  there  is  some  special  reason  to 
adopt  another  system,  let  the  manure  be  thoroughly  incor- 
porated with  the  lower  soil,  and,  if  any  is  placed  in  the  top 
spit,  let  it  take  the  form  of  refuse  material  such  as  that  from 
old  hotbeds  or  cucumber  pits,  as  this  will  provide  some- 
thing to  which  the  young  and  tender  roots  will  take  quickly 
and  at  the  same  time  give  a  little  food  ;  this  stuff  is  more 
valuable  on  strong  than  on  light  lands,  and  should  not  be 
worked  in  until  the  spring,  or  its  full  value  will  not  be 
secured. 

In  many  instances  it  is  to  be  feared  that  success  is  not 


CONCENTRATED    FERTILISERS     37 

obtained  simply  because  the  manure  at  command  is  poor 
in  quality.  When  natural  manure  is  stacked  in  heaps  and 
exposed  for  months  to  the  weather,  somewhere  about  three 
parts  of  its  food  virtues  are  washed  out  of  it  before  it  is  put 
into  the  soil.  It  should  always  be  stacked  under  cover, 
where  it  is  impossible  for  the  rains  to  pass  through  it,  and 
the  liquid  which  naturally  drains  out  of  it  must  be  saved 
for  future  use. 

In  the  possible  event,  then,  of  the  manure  being  poor, 
the  grower  must  turn  to  the  concentrated  fertilisers  to 
provide  compensation.  The  usual  practice  is  to  apply 
these  when  the  soil  is  being  finally  prepared  in  the  spring, 
but  they  can  be  used  in  the  autumn,  and  in  certain  circum- 
stances will  then  give  superior  returns.  It  is,  however, 
essential  that  whatever  is  applied  at  that  season  of  the 
year  shall  be  slow  in  yielding  up  its  food  properties, 
or  the  value  of  the  application  will  be  almost  wholly  lost 
to  the  plants.  As  a  simple  dressing  for  Sweet  Peas  there 
is  nothing  better  than  basic  slag,  finely  ground,  and  used 
at  the  rate  of  10  to  12  Ibs.  to  the  square  rod,  and  even 
more  where  the  dressing  of  dung  is  light  and  its  quality 
inferior.  This  will  not  meet  all  the  requirements  of  the 
plants,  since  it  gives  no  appreciable  amount  of  potash,  which 
is  essential  to  the  finest  results,  therefore  it  must  be  supple- 
mented with  kainit  at  the  rate  of  6  to  8  Ibs.  to  the  rod. 
This  latter  salt  is  valuable  as  a  soil  cleanser  as  well  as 


38     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

a  fertiliser  ;  it  should  be  applied  in  autumn  to  give  the  best 
results. 

A  second  form  of  using  concentrated  fertilisers,  and  one 
which  serves  admirably  in  many  instances,  is  to  mix  what- 
ever is  chosen  in  with  the  manure  itself  prior  to  working  it 

fr 

into  the  soil.  One  stone  of  kainit  and  two  stones  of  super- 
phosphate of  lime,  spread  evenly  on  a  thin  heap  of  manure 
weighing  approximately  one  ton,  and  then  the  material 
turned  inwards  and  outwards  two  or  three  times  to  work 
the  fertilisers  right  through,  will  improve  the  dung  by 
somewhere  about  30  per  cent.,  and  that  is  a  consideration 
worthy  of  note. 

It  will  be  observed  that  nitrogen  is  omitted  in  each  of 
these  suggestions,  since  in  all  soils  it  is  far  better  used  in 
the  spring,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  is  best  held  back 
for  exclusive  use  as  a  stimulant.  For  spring  use  sulphate 
of  potash  should  take  the  place  of  kainit,  and  the  quan- 
tity must  not  exceed,  except  in  the  rarest  circumstances, 
3  Ibs.  to  the  square  rod.  Superphosphate  will  also  be 
necessary,  and  a  good  dressing  is  6  Ibs.  to  the  square 
rod.  In  the  possible  event  of  nitrogen  being  needed  for 
application  early  in  spring,  mix  equal  proportions  of  sul- 
phate of  ammonia  and  nitrate  of  soda,  and  use  3  Ibs.  to  the 
square  rod  ;  the  mixture  gives  finer  results  than  an  equal 
quantity  of  either  used  alone,  and  it  must  be  forked  into  the 
top  8  inches  of  surface  soil. 


CHAPTER  V 
SEED    SOWING 

FORTUNATELY,  the  grower  of  Sweet  Peas  has  ample  latitude 
in  regard  to  seed  sowing.  He  has  not  to  depend  upon  the 
conditions  of  weather  and  soil  being  ideal  in  any  particular 
week,  for  he  can  commence  sowing  in  September,  and 
continue  monthly,  with  the  exception  of  December,  until 
the  following  April — there  have  been  instances  where  a  May 
sowing  has  produced  excellent  plants  which  have  blossomed 
freely  very  late  in  the  season.  During  recent  years  the  prac- 
tice of  sowing  in  pots,  either  in  the  autumn  or  the  spring, 
has  become  more  and  more  popular,  and  there  are  amateurs 
who  appear  to  think  that  it  is  only  in  this  manner  that  the 
best  exhibition  flowers  can  be  produced.  This,  however,  is 
very  far  from  being  correct.  Assuming  all  other  things  are 
favourable,  it  is  just  as  easy  to  grow  good  flowers  from 
seeds  sown  out-of-doors  in  autumn  or  spring,  according  to 
conveniences  and  circumstances,  as  it  is  from  seeds  sown 
under  glass  at  those  seasons.  It  is,  of  course,  obvious  that 
pot-sown  seeds  and  plants  are  more  under  the  complete 
control  of  the  cultivator  than  those  out-of-doors  ;  but  apart 

39 


40     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

from  this  there  is  no  substantial  advantage  in  the  system. 
Autumn  sowing  is  advantageous  in  giving  a  longer  time  for 
the  plants  to  root  in,  and,  although  they  may  not  gain 
materially  in  earliness  over  spring-sown  seeds,  this  superior 
root  development  will  tell  in  the  substance  and  colour  of 
the  blooms ;  but  when  all  is  said,  the  grower  must  settle 
the  point  for  himself. 

Autumn  Sowing. — Now  let  us  particularise  a  little  as  to 
the  best  times  for  autumn  and  spring  sowing,  and  we  will 
take  outdoor  work  first,  as  being  the  more  generally  con- 
venient. Those  who  live  in  cold  districts  and  have  to 
contend  with  a  strong,  close,  clayey  soil  should  endeavour 
to  get  seeds  in  during  September,  early  or  late  according  to 
the  weather.  The  seeds  should  be  sown  more  thickly  than 
in  more  congenial  soils,  but  attention  to  this  point  will  be 
drawn  in  due  course.  In  either  strong  or  medium  loams 
the  best  month  is  October,  while  in  warm  sands  November 
will  prove  the  most  generally  suitable.  If  there  is  a  cold 
frame  at  command,  the  middle  of  October  is  an  ideal 
time  for  sowing,  and  6-inch  pots  should  be  given  the 
preference  over  those  of  smaller  size,  since  they  afford 
additional  root  room,  which  Sweet  Peas  greatly  appreciate. 
Five  seeds  should  be  set  round  the  sides  of  the  large  pot ; 
or  if  it  is  necessary  to  use  3-inch  pots,  then  put  one  seed  in 
the  middle  and  be  prepared  to  repot  as  early  in  the  spring 
as  possible.  Few  growers,  however,  care  to  go  to  this 


PLATE  IV 
QUEEN  ALEXANDRA 


.  SPRING    SOWING  43 

trouble  with  Sweet  Peas,  but  it  will  be  commonly  found 
imperative  in  exhibition  culture,  with  which  my  experienced 
friend  and  most  successful  grower,  Thomas  Stevenson, 
deals  on  another  page.  If  under-glass  sowing  in  the 
autumn  is  adopted,  the  utmost  care  must  be  taken  not  to 
coddle  the  plants,  or  the  results  will  prove  the  reverse  of 
satisfactory ;  on  the  contrary,  keep  the  frames  open  when- 
ever the  weather  will  permit  of  it,  so  that  the  growth  shall 
be  strong,  hardy,  and  sturdy  from  the  start. 

If  mice  find  their  way  into  the  pots,  they  will  eat  all 
the  seeds  of  the  best  varieties.  The  simplest  method  of 
preventing  them  is  to  place  a  pane  of  glass  over  the  top 
of  each  pot,  since  it  is  from  the  surface,  and  not  from  the 
base,  that  they  work  ;  needless  to  say,  immediately  the  seed- 
lings show  through  the  surface  the  glass  should  be  re- 
moved. At  that  stage  danger  will  come  from  slugs,  which 
ought  to  be  hunted  for  and  trapped  persistently,  and  birds, 
which  still  attack  the  plants  whenever  they  get  the  oppor- 
tunity. An  effectual  method  of  preventing  them  is  to 
have  a  light  framework  of  fine-meshed  galvanised  wire, 
made  exactly  the  same  size  as  the  light,  and  when  the 
latter  is  off,  let  the  wire  be  placed  in  position.  Should 
birds  top  the  plants  once  it  is  not  of  serious  moment, 
but  they  must  not  be  allowed  to  do  it  repeatedly  or  the 
plants  will  die. 

Spring  Sowing. — Passing  now  to  spring  sowing,  we 


44     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

shall  commence  towards  the  end  of  January,  in  pots,  and 
again  the  preference  should  be  given  to  large  ones  if  it  can 
possibly  be  made  convenient.  Either  a  greenhouse  or  a 
frame  will  answer  the  purpose,  provided  that  the  heat 
is  very  gentle ;  high  temperatures  will,  of  course,  favour 
quicker  germination  and  more  rapid  progress  subsequently, 
but  the  growth  will  be  weaker  and  the  difficulties  and 
dangers,  when  the  time  arrives  for  placing  the  plants  in 
their  permanent  positions,  will  be  materially  increased.  At 
the  same  time,  absolute  cold  is  not  good  for  Sweet  Peas 
sown  in  January.  Where  there  is  no  heated  structure,  or 
that  at  command  is  too  hot,  it  will  be  wiser  to  wait  until 
the  middle  or  end  of  February  before  sowing ;  the  grower 
will  not  then  have  to  worry  for  fear  of  the  plants  becom- 
ing drawn  before  the  soil  and  weather  are  favourable  to 
planting.  Out-of-door  sowing  in  spring  may  be  done  at 
any  time  after  the  middle  of  March  up  to  the  end  of  April 
with  every  prospect  of  success.  In  gardens  where  the  soil 
is  light  and  warm  a  start  may  be  made  in  February, 
particularly  if  a  sheltered  situation  can  be  added  to  the 
other  advantages  named.  Taking  one  season  with  another, 
the  fourth  week  of  the  month  of  March  is  usually  the  best 
period. 

When  pot  culture  is  decided  upon,  the  grower  must  be 
prepared  not  only  to  give  the  plants  attention  from  the 
time  that  they  show  through  the  surface,  but  also  to  provide 


SOIL    FOR    POTS  45 

a  special  soil  mixture.  The  ordinary  soil  of  the  garden 
may,  and  does,  answer  perfectly  for  seeds  sown  directly  into 
it  where  the  plants  are  to  flower,  but  it  is  seldom  good 
enough  for  use  in  pots.  However,  the  compost  is  far  from 
elaborate,  and  may  be  easily  provided  by  those  who  will 
take  a  little  trouble.  The  principal  ingredient  must  be 
sound,  fibrous  loam,  and  of  this  there  may  be  three  parts, 
all  the  fibre  being  retained  and  only  the  finest  dust  re- 
moved ;  then  there  should  be  one  part  each  of  refuse 
manure  and  sweet,  thoroughly  decomposed  leaf-mould. 
If  there  is  the  slightest  doubt  as  to  the  quality  of  the  leaf- 
soil,  omit  it  entirely  and  rely  upon  the  manure,  since  inferior 
leaf-mould  will  do  far  more  harm  than  good,  and  on  more 
than  one  occasion  it  has  led  to  complete  failure.  Beyond 
these  things  it  will  be  necessary  to  add,  roughly,  a  tenth 
part  of  sharp  sand  to  ensure  the  perfect  porosity  of  the 
mixture.  The  ingredients  should  be  mixed  thoroughly 
quite  two,  and  preferably  three,  weeks  before  use,  and  it 
must  then  be  in  a  pleasantly  moist  state,  no  matter  what 
varieties  are  being  sown. 

It  is  imperative  in  pot-sowing  to  make  some  distinction 
between  those  varieties  with  white  seeds  and  others  having 
mauve  in  the  colour  of  their  flowers,  and  the  ordinary 
black  or  brown-seeded  sorts,  or  the  results  may  prove 
disastrous.  It  is  well  known  to  all  experienced  growers 
that  the  mauve-coloured  varieties  invariably  have  most 


46     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

wretched-looking  seeds — usually  very  small,  and  commonly 
spotted  and  wrinkled — and  these,  with  the  white  ones,  are 
very  apt  to  rot  in  the  soil  if  it  is  kept  too  moist  or  they 
are  set  too  deeply.  For  these,  then,  the  cultivator  should 
use  a  rather  lighter  soil,  with  an  increased  proportion  of 
sand,  surface  the  soil  with  pure  sand,  set  the  seeds  not 
more  than  a  quarter  of  an  inch  deep,  and  cover  them  with 
sand.  Further  than  this,  the  soil  should  be  kept  drier  than 
is  either  necessary  or  desirabje  for  the  majority  of  sorts. 
For  all  brown  and  black  seeds  the  depth  may  be  between 
half  an  inch  and  an  inch,  and  the  covering-in  should  always 
be  done  with  fine  soil.  Many  cultivators  chip  all  seeds 
prior  to  sowing,  but  the  practice  is  rarely  necessary.  If  it 
is  seen  that  the  plants  are  not  showing  through  the  surface 
within  a  reasonable  time  after  sowing,  the  soil  should  be 
turned  out  carefully  and  the  seeds  found ;  if  they  are  still 
sound  they  can  be  chipped  and  re-sown  ;  if  they  have 
rotted  the  matter  is  ended,  and  a  second  sowing  must  be 
made  forthwith.  Although  this  appears  to  be  more  trouble 
than  chipping  the  skins  of  all  seeds  at  the  outset,  it  is 
preferable.  In  the  white-seeded  varieties,  and  also  in  one 
or  two  with  black  skins,  split  seeds  are  comparatively 
common,  and,  notwithstanding  the  care  that  is  taken  by 
seedsmen  to  pick  them  out,  some  will  assuredly  find  their 
way  into  the  packets.  The  grower  should  not  give  him- 
self a  moment's  anxiety  about  them ;  they  will  simply 


OUTDOOR    SEED    SOWING       47 

germinate  rather  quicker,  but  care  must  be  taken  not  to  get 
the  soil  wet. 

Having  dealt  with  the  manner  of  sowing  under  glass, 
we  will  now  turn  to  outdoor  sowing,  which,  as  already 
stated,  is  still  far  more  extensively  practised  by  the  culti- 
vators than  under -glass  sowing.  Much  has  been  said 
and  written  as  to  the  marked  advantages  of  sowing  in 
flat -bottomed,  shallow  trenches  or  drills,  as  compared 
with  the  triangular  drills  drawn  with  the  heel  of  a  cutting 
hoe,  but  there  are  still  many  amateurs  who  adopt  the 
latter  system.  They  should  drop  it  instantly,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  triangular  drills  are  prejudicial  from 
the  start,  and  the  results  can  never,  therefore,  be  as 
satisfactoiy  as  when  the  plants  proceed  perfectly  from  the 
earliest  stages. 

Every  grower  of  Sweet  Peas  should  decide  to  have 
shallow  trenches  in  future.  It  is  obvious  that  the  depth 
will  vary  slightly  according  to  the  texture  of  the  soil — the 
stronger  it  is,  the  shallower  the  cutting  should  be  ;  the 
lighter  it  is,  the  deeper  the  trenches  should  be.  In  any 
case  they  must  not  exceed  4  inches,  and  never  be  less 
than  2  inches.  It  should  not  be  assumed  that  the  seeds 
will  be  covered  to  the  full  depth  in  either  case  ;  on  the 
contrary,  a  surfacing  of  i  inch  to  i£  inches  suffices 
according  to  circumstances,  and  the  greater  depth  of 
cutting  is  simply  advised  so  that  the  stems  can  be 


48     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

moulded  up  a  little  as  protection,  without  bringing  the 
level  up  to  such  a  degree  that  it  looks  like  a  miniature 
Potato  hill. 

Another  important  point  in  direct  relation  to  sowing 
is  the  distance  at  which  the  seed  ought  to  be  placed.  The 
advice  to  sow  thinly  has  been  insisted  upon  often  enough 
by  experienced  growers,  but  it  is  certain  that  ideas  as  to 
what  constitutes  thin  sowing  are  varied  and  confused. 
Some  growers  will  place  the  seeds  about  three  deep  in  the 
drill.  Then  comes  the  individual  who  considers  that  a 
single  layer  is  the  ideal  of  thin  sowing,  and  still  another 
sets  them  12  inches  asunder,  forgetting  that  some  of  the 
seeds  may  fail  to  germinate,  that  mice  may  demand  a 
toll  before  the  seedlings  are  through,  that  slugs  and  birds 
will  also  take  a  share,  until,  when  the  thinning  by  these 
means  is  finished,  the  plants  may  stand  at  anything  from 
3  feet  to  6  feet  apart  for  flowering.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is 
exceedingly  difficult  to  lay  down  a  hard-and-fast  rule  that 
will  suit  all  cultivators,  but  if  the  distance  varies  from 
i  inch  to  2  inches  it  is  almost  impossible  that  the  grower 
can  go  far  astray.  There  will  then  be  sufficient  for  the 
mice,  birds,  and  slugs  to  have  a  fair  share  and  for  the 
thinning  to  be  completed  so  that  a  distance  of  12,  15,  18, 
or  24  inches  separates  the  plants  in  the  rows.  Those  who 
aspire  to  produce  exhibition  blooms  will  be  wise  to  follow 
Thomas  Stevenson's  advice,  while  the  immense  majority, 


SUPPORTING    THE    PLANTS     49 

who  grow  plants  to  yield  an  abundance  of  flowers  for  the 
immediate  adornment  of  the  garden,  will  allow  the  plants 
12  to  15  inches  asunder  in  the  rows,  and  know  that  they 
are  doing  the  right  thing. 

It  is  necessary  to  draw  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 
plants  can  be  grown  in  either  single  or  double  lines,  but 
the  former  method  is  much  to  be  preferred.  For  a  single 
line  of  seeds  the  shallow  trench  may  be  anything  from  4  to 
6  inches  in  width,  whereas  for  a  double  line  it  must  be  at 
least  15  inches,  and  the  seeds  should  be  placed  within  an 
inch  of  the  edge  on  each  side.  The  particular  object  of 
this  is,  of  course,  to  leave  a  wide  space  between  the  plants 
at  the  base,  so  that  there  will  always  be  an  abundance  of 
fresh  air  playing  about  them  ;  and  this  should  be  still  further 
encouraged  when  the  plants  are  thinned  out  to  the  flowering 
distances  by  removing  those  in  the  one  row  which  come 
opposite  to  those  in  the  other  ;  the  plants  will  thus  stand 
triangularly,  or,  as  it  is  commonly  termed  in  gardens, 
"  opposite  vacancy." 

Supporting  the  Plants. — No  matter  whether  the  plants 
are  growing  in  pots  or  the  open  ground,  it  is  imperative 
that  they  shall  be  given  early  support.  The  youngster 
that  is  permitted  to  fall  over  and  lie  recumbent  for  only 
a  few  hours  is  seriously  prejudiced  from  the  start,  apart 
altogether  from  the  fact  that  there  is  always  a  danger,  when 
it  is  necessary  for  the  plant  to  be  drawn  upright,  that  it 


50     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

will  be  snapped  off.  The  grower  who  desires  to  pose  as 
a  philosopher  will,  of  course,  immediately  affirm  that  he 
had  intended  to  top  the  plant  in  any  case,  and  that  he  has 
been  saved  the  trouble ;  but  the  probabilities  are  that  his 
private  views  on  the  point  would  be  somewhat  different. 
The  rule  should  be  to  place  sticks  to  the  seedlings  before 
they  attain  to  the  height  of  4  inches,  and  to  these  pre- 
liminary sticks  the  young  plants  should  always  be  carefully 
attached  with  bass  or  other  convenient  material.  The  Sweet 
Pea  is  a  tendril-producing  plant,  and  in  principle  these 
natural  supports  should  be  sufficient,  but  in  practice  this 
seldom  proves  to  be  the  case,  and  artificial  support  must  be 
given.  For  the  early  sticks  the  brashy  parts  may  be  cut 
from  the  tops  of  the  final  stakes  if  desired,  or  the  twigs 
from  an  old  besom  may  be  requisitioned  ;  in  any  case  they 
ought  to  be  about  15  inches  in  length,  so  that  approxi- 
mately they  may  be  placed  3  inches  deep  in  the  soil  and 
extend  12  inches  out  of  it.  The  chief  point  for  the  amateur 
to  keep  in  view  in  this  early  tying  is  to  make  perfectly 
sure  of  adequate  support  without  arresting  the  advancement 
of  the  young  plant,  as  will  inevitably  be  done  should  the 
ligature  be  put  on  too  tightly. 

Before  the  plants  reach  the  tops  of  the  twiggy  sticks 
the  permanent  ones  must  be  put  into  position,  and  these 
can  be  of  hazel  or  other  convenient  natural  wood ;  or 
ordinary,  large-meshed,  galvanised  wire,  or  one  of  the 


PLANTING    OUT  51 

excellent,  specially  made  wire  frameworks  may  be  procured 
for  the  purpose.  It  is  indisputable  that  there  still  exists 
in  the  minds  of  many  amateurs  a  prejudice  against  any 
other  support  than  that  of  sticks,  but  the  wire  answers 
perfectly  well,  and  has  the  advantage  of  being  to  a  large 
degree  permanent,  since,  if  proper  care  is  taken  in  storage 
after  use,  it  will  last  for  many  seasons,  and  thus  come 
out  cheaper  in  the  long  run  than  sticks,  except  in  those 
districts  where  good  sticks  can  be  bought  at  low  prices. 
The  height  of  the  sticks  or  the  wire,  as  the  case  may  be, 
will  necessarily  vary  in  accordance  with  the  usual  height 
to  which  the  plants  attain  in  the  district. 

Planting  Out. — When  the  plants  are  grown  from  seeds 
sown  under  glass,  either  in  the  autumn  or  the  spring,  there 
will  come  a  time,  almost  invariably  in  April,  when  they 
will  have  to  be  put  out  into  their  permanent  positions. 
This  operation  demands  both  judgment  and  care — judg- 
ment to  know  precisely  when  the  plants  and  the  weather  are 
both  especially  favourable,  and  care  to  guard  against  the 
possibility  of  the  smallest  damage  to  the  roots.  One  of  the 
commonest  objections  to  sowing  in  large  pots,  rather  than 
in  small  ones,  is  that  unless  the  entire  mass  of  soil  and  roots 
is  planted  intact,  in  which  case  the  plants  will  be  far  too 
close  together,  the  roots  will  assuredly  be  more  or  less 
seriously  injured ;  but  this  will  not  be  so,  provided  that 
proper  care  is  taken  in  the  process.  When  all  the  condi- 


52      PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

tions  are  satisfactory  to  the  work  being  done,  the  soil  in  the 
large  pots  should  be  allowed  to  get  just  on  the  dry  side  by 
withholding  water  the  day  prior  to  the  task,  and  then  it  will 
be  found  exceedingly  easy  to  separate  the  plants  without  a 
single  root  being  injured.  As  soon  as  the  comparatively 
dry  mass  is  turned  out  of  the  pot,  place  it  on  its  side  on 
the  blade  of  the  spade  or  a  piece  of  board  procured  for 
the  purpose,  and  steadily  press  downwards,  when  the  mass 
will  crumble  and  the  plants  can  be  individually  chosen  for 
immediately  planting. 

It  is  most  important  when  this  is  done  that  the  soil  shall 
have  been  thoroughly  soaked  a  few  hours  previously,  so 
that  the  roots  shall  not  be  put  directly  into  dry  soil,  or  they 
will  experience  a  check  of  more  or  less  seventy.  It  may  or 
may  not  be  deemed  necessary  to  water  afterwards ;  as  a 
general  rule  it  is  wise  to  do  so,  since  it  will  settle  the  soil 
well  down  to  the  roots  ;  but  in  all  instances  watering  should 
be  done  in  advance  if  the  ground  is  dry. 

The  distance  of  setting  the  plants,  whether  they  are  in 
rows  or  clumps,  will  obviously  be  that  at  which  the  plants 
will  remain,  since  it  is  not  now  anticipated  that  there  will 
be  any  losses.  Those  who  do  not  feel  that  they  can  sepa- 
rate the  masses  without  breaking  several  of  the  roots  should 
plant  intact,  and  then  draw  out  the  stems  to  supports  placed 
at  some  distance  from  them,  in  order  to  ensure  an  ample 
distance  between  the  five  in  the  group ;  but  unless  this  is 


SINGLE-STEMMED    PLANTS      53 

done  with  the  utmost  skill  it  is  not  as  satisfactory  as  divi- 
sion. Plants  in  small  pots  will,  of  course,  be  put  out  with 
the  mass  of  soil  and  roots  unbroken,  as  there  would  be  no 
benefit  in  any  disturbance.  The  soil  must  be  made  firm, 
but  it  should  not  be  trodden  down  as  hard  as  the  proverbial 
macadamised  road,  as  is  occasionally  done,  and  especial 
care  must  be  taken  in  this  operation  if  the  soil  is  on  the 
wet  side  when  the  work  is  done,  or  it  will  settle  down  into 
a  close  mass,  impenetrable  alike  by  water  or  air.  In  the 
possible  event  of  this  occurring,  the  first  available  oppor- 
tunity must  be  taken  of  opening  it  up,  but  be  careful  that 
the  roots  are  not  disturbed  in  the  process  ;  unless  air  can 
penetrate,  it  is  certain  that  the  progress  will  not  be  as  good 
as  it  ought  to  be,  and  as  it  must  be  to  give  the  best  blooms. 

Unless  the  plants  are  grown  exclusively  with  a  view  to 
the  production  of  exhibition  flowers,  it  is  improbable  that 
they  will  be  restricted  to  single  stems.  It  is  true  that  when 
they  are  sown  as  thickly  as  Mustard  and  Cress,  and  thinning 
is  entirely  neglected,  they  will  only  develop  single  stems,  and 
poor  ones  at  that ;  but  if  all  parts  of  the  plant  have  the 
benefit  of  unobstructed  light  and  fresh  air  there  may  be 
any  number  from  two  to  six  stems,  according  to  the  fancy 
of  the  grower ;  but  the  more  there  are,  the  further  must 
the  individual  plants  be  set  apart. 

In  most  instances  plants  having  three  stems  in  a  space 
of  15  or  1 8  inches,  preferably  the  latter,  will  give  quite 


54     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

satisfactory  returns ;  for  the  flowers  will  be  excellent  in 
quality  and  carried  on  stout  stems  of  good  length.  Whether 
the  plants  will  flower  continuously  over  a  protracted  period 
very  largely  depends  upon  the  persistency  with  which  the 
grower  keeps  the  blooms  picked ;  if  he  allows  seed  pods 
to  form,  then  he  must  expect  to  see  the  productiveness  of 
the  plants  fail  rapidly.  Just  before  the  flowers  attain  to 
perfection  is  the  best  time  to  gather,  as  well  in  the  interests 
of  the  flowers  themselves  as  of  the  plants. 

Immediately  the  plants  are  in  their  permanent  positions 
the  grower  should  provide  the  supports  necessary  (where 
wires  are  used  it  is  better  to  set  them  in  place  beforehand  and 
plant  up  to  them).  The  sticks  must  be  sufficiently  long  to 
permit  of  a  good  length  going  into  the  soil,  or  they  will  in- 
evitably be  blown  down  when  the  plants  are  in  full  activity 
and  there  comes  a  high  wind.  They  should  be  carried 
perfectly  uprightly  or,  and  still  better,  lean  outwards  slightly 
at  the  top,  and  not  inwards,  as  is  too  commonly  seen.  When 
the  latter  style  is  adopted  not  only  is  the  support  insuffi- 
cient at  the  top,  where  it  is  more  especially  required,  but 
air  is  prevented  from  circulating  freely  among  the  growths, 
and  the  result  is  that  they  do  not  blossom  as  profusely  and 
continuously  as  they  would  do  were  the  conditions  more 
favourable.  If  the  plants  are  grown  in  parallel  lines,  these 
should  run  slightly  north-east  and  south-west  if  possible, 
and  not  dead  north  and  south  ;  there  ought  to  be  a  distance 


WATERING    AND    FEEDING      5$ 

of  about  6  feet  between  them.  The  distance  between  clumps 
must  obviously  depend  upon  their  size ;  some  are  only 
3  feet  in  diameter,  while  others  run  to  6  feet,  and  even  more 
than  that  in  many  gardens. 

Watering  and  Feeding. — If  the  soil  is  thoroughly  and 
deeply  cultivated  to  start  with,  and  generous  applications 
of  manure  are  incorporated,  it  is  not  likely  that  the  plants 
will  require  any  water  until  they  are  showing  buds  ;  in  any 
event  it  is  wise  to  defer  watering  until  it  becomes  imperative, 
especially  where  hard,  tap  water  alone  is  available,  for  if 
this  is  repeatedly  given  the  temperature  of  the  soil  will  be 
gradually  lowered  until  it  reaches  a  point  at  which  the 
plants  cannot  absorb  food.  As  soon  as  it  is  clear  that 
the  soil  is  becoming  dry,  watering  must  be  done,  and  it 
should  be  such  a  soaking  that  the  ground  will  be  moistened 
to  a  depth  of  about  3  feet.  To  ensure  this  it  is  necessary 
to  apply  3  gallons  to  the  square  yard  on  the  majority  of 
soils,  and  5  gallons  will  not  be  a  drop  too  much  on  light 
lands  that  overlie  gravel.  This  done,  the  grower  should  not 
make  the  slightest  attempt  to  water  a  second  time  until  the 
soil  is  again  almost  quite  dry. 

With  the  plants  in  full  bud  and  bloom,  it  will  be  essen- 
tial to  assist  them  with  weak  liquid  manure,  and  this  must 
always  be  given  when  the  soil  is  moist  after  rain  or  after 
artificial  waterings  have  been  afforded.  The  quantity  ought 
to  be  exactly  the  same  as  with  clear  water,  and  the  latter 


56     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

must  always  come  between  two  applications  of  liquid 
manure.  Just  how  often  feeding  will  be  needed  depends 
upon  the  condition  of  the  soil  and  the  plants,  but  nothing 
is  to  be  gained,  and  something  may  easily  be  lost,  by 
excessive  applications. 

In  regard  to  the  particular  form  of  stimulant  or  food 
that  will  be  given,  it  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  each 
grower  will  work  according  to  his  own  convenience  ;  and 
fortunately  Sweet  Peas  are  not  fastidious  in  this  matter, 
but  will,  when  in  full  vigour  and  perfect  health,  be  thankful 
for  anything  good  that  may  happen  to  come  along.  The 
principal  point  that  the  cultivator  must  keep  in  view  is  to 
provide  as  great  a  change  as  possible,  and  in  no  circum- 
stances to  give  the  same  food  in  the  same  form  twice  in 
immediate  succession.  Soot-water  or  liquid  manure  from 
the  farm-yard  will  answer  admirably,  and  a  fairly  safe  guide 
to  strength  is  to  give  them  of  the  colour  of  weak  tea  or  pale 
ale.  As  a  special  stimulant  nitrate  of  soda  or  sulphate  of 
ammonia,  at  the  rate  of  one  ounce  to  the  gallon  of  water,  is 
excellent,  and  will  increase  the  richness  of  the  colour  in 
both  leaves  and  flowers  ;  but  if  nitrate  of  potash  is  at  com- 
mand it  is  superior  to  either  of  those  named,  for  the  reason 
that  it  will  improve  the  substance  and  texture  of  the  blooms 
as  well  as  the  colour.  It  must  not  be  used  at  a  greater 
strength  than  half  an  ounce  in  each  gallon  of  water,  and 
three  gallons  to  the  square  yard  should  be  the  rule. 


PLATE  V 
MRS.   HUGH   DICKSON 


SURFACE    CULTIVATION         59 

In  order  to  secure  the  full  advantage  of  the  food  that 
was  originally  put  into  the  soil,  and  also  that  which  is  given 
in  the  form  of  liquid  manure,  it  is  imperative  that  the  surface 
soil  shall  either  be  persistently  loosened  with  a  fork  or  a  hoe, 
or  that  a  mulching  of  manure  shall  be  spread  over  the  entire 
area.  Obviously  the  latter  is  the  better  system,  since  at 
the  same  time  as  it  conserves  the  moisture  in  the  soil  it 
adds  food  to  it,  and  thus  affords  a  double  benefit.  As  a 
rule  the  shorter  the  manure  for  top-dressing  the  better, 
but  if  necessary,  longer  stuff  can  be  utilised,  in  which  case 
it  is  wise  to  fork  it  up  occasionally,  or  it  may  settle  down 
into  a  close  mass  and  prevent  air  penetrating  freely  into  the 
ground,  thus  doing  as  much,  or  even  more,  harm  than  good. 
Before  any  mulching  is  applied  the  grower  should  loosen 
the  surface  soil  and  destroy  all  weeds.  In  most  cases  it 
will  be  wise  to  draw  back  the  dressing  when  water  or  liquid 
manure  has  to  be  given,  replacing  it  as  soon  afterwards  as 
it  is  wise  to  go  on  the  soil.  It  will  also  be  found  beneficial 
to  hose  or  syringe  the  plants  forcibly  on  the  evenings  of 
intensely  hot,  dry  days. 

Although  the  plants  will  continue  to  produce  flowers  in 
succession  over  a  long  period  when  the  management  is 
good,  it  is  certain  that  there  will  come  a  time  when  they 
show  signs  of  failing,  and  the  blooms  will  neither  be  so 
numerous  nor  the  stem  stalks  so  long.  The  display  in  many 
instances  will  be  maintained  by  plants  that  have  been  grown 


60     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

on  from  later  sowings,  but  when  they  are  plainly  exhausted 
excellent  results  frequently  accrue  upon  cutting  them  boldly 
down  to  within  3  feet  of  the  ground  and  starting  them  on 
a  new  lease  of  life.  The  soil  must  be  carefully  loosened, 
all  mulching  either  pricked  in  or  entirely  removed  ;  water- 
ing and  feeding  with  liquid  manure  must  be  rather  more 
generous  than  was  the  case  before  ;  a  fresh  application  of 
manure  should  be  put  on  ;  each  plant  must  be  limited  to 
three  stems,  and  the  reward  will  be  a  second  crop  of  blooms, 
about  six  weeks  later,  almost  equal  in  quality  and  quantity 
to  the  first  flowers.  This  system  does  not  always  yield  the 
desired  results,  as  much  depends  upon  soil,  situation,  and 
management,  but  the  frequency  of  success  is  sufficient  to 
warrant  a  trial  in  all  gardens. 

No  reference  has  yet  been  made  to  nitro-culture,  which 
was  much  talked  about  a  short  time  ago.  It  now  seems 
clear,  after  most  careful  trials,  that  in  thoroughly  culti- 
vated and  intelligently  manured  garden  soils  the  system  of 
treating  the  seeds  or  the  soil  with  nitro-bacterine  cultures 
does  not  materially  improve  matters ;  in  some  soils  it 
may  be  advantageous,  while  in  others  there  is  no  differ- 
ence between  plants  so  treated  and  those  grown  in  the 
ordinary  manner. 


CHAPTER   VI 
CULTURE   UNDER  GLASS 

THE  culture  of  Sweet  Peas  in  pots  under  glass  is  not  the 
most  satisfactory  thing  in  the  world  to  carry  out.  If  the 
structures  are  exceptionally  light  and  the  provision  for 
ventilation  is  perfect — these  conditions  prevail  in  market 
growers'  houses — the  degree  of  success  will  satisfy  those 
who  are  not  especially  critical.  In  the  ordinary  green- 
house, however,  with  its  varied  occupants,  the  results  are 
often  the  reverse  of  gratifying,  for  the  plants  take  up  a 
considerable  amount  of  space,  demand  incessant  attention 
from  the  time  the  seedlings  appear  through  the  surface 
of  the  soil,  and  the  flowers  they  yield  are  often  few  in 
numbers  and  poor  in  substance.  However,  many  growers 
will  make  a  trial,  and  it  is  hoped  they  will  do  thoroughly 
well.  The  requisites  are  simple  enough.  There  should  be 
10  or  12  inch  pots  perfectly  drained  and  filled  to  within 
an  inch  and  a  half  or  thereabouts  of  the  rim  with  a 
compost  of  three  parts  turfy  loam,  pulled  to  pieces  and 
used,  except  at  the  top,  in  a  lumpy  condition,  and  one  part 
of  sweetened  manure,  with  an  addition  of  sand  varying 

61 


62     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

according  to  the  consistency  of  the  loam ;  the  stronger 
the  latter,  the  more  sand  is  needed.  Not  more  than  six 
plants  should  be  placed  in  each  pot,  and  when  they  are 
staked  care  must  be  taken  to  run  the  supports  outwards 
at  the  top  so  as  to  ensure  the  utmost  amount  of  light 
and  air  reaching  every  part  of  the  stems.  During  the  early 
stages  it  is  necessary  to  water  with  great  judgment,  as  it 
is  extremely  easy  to  make  a  compost  sour  when  roots  are 
not  working  freely  in  it ;  but  when  the  plants  are  in  full 
progress,  both  water  and  liquid  manure,  the  latter,  as  usual, 
weak  and  in  good  variety,  will  be  essential.  From  the 
commencement  the  plants  must  be  given  the  lightest  posi- 
tion in  the  house.  The  temperature  should  never  be  ex- 
cessive— a  maximum  of  50  degrees  is  quite  warm  enough, 
unless  there  is  a  special  reason  for  endeavouring  to  en- 
courage the  buds  to  expand  rather  more  quickly  ;  and  even 
then  it  is  well  within  the  bounds  of  possibility  that  the 
plants  will  draw  up  to  a  height  of  ten  or  more  feet,  and 
there  will  not  be  hundreds  of  splendid  flowers  such  as  an 
equal  number  of  plants  would  yield  out-of-doors. 

The  Telemly  and  American  winter-flowering  varieties 
answer  well  in  suitable  structures,  but  they  are  not  gener- 
ally adapted  for  amateurs'  houses,  for  the  reason]  already 
given,  that  there  is  not  sufficient  light  and  air.  In  the 
ordinary  way  the  seeds  should  be  sown  early  in  the  spring, 
precisely  at  the  same  time  as  if  the  plants  were  for  outdoor 


CULTURE    UNDER    GLASS        63 

culture,  and  the  treatment  throughout  will  be  the  same, 
except  that,  instead  of  sowing  in  small  pots,  the  seeds  should 
be  put  directly  into  those  in  which  the  plants  are  to  bloom. 
Or,  if  it  is  preferred,  the  seeds  can  be  sown  in  boxes — which, 
by  the  way,  is  an  admirable  system  for  general  purposes 
— and  when  the  plants  are  2  or  3  inches  high  they  must 
be  transferred  to  the  flowering  pots.  If  pots  of  the  size 
suggested  are  not  readily  procurable,  smaller  ones  may 
be  used  with  fewer  plants  in  them,  and  they  will  then 
demand  even  more  care  in  feeding ;  and  the  best  results 
will  only  be  secured  when  collars  are  put  inside  the  rims 
of  the  pots  for  containing  top-dressings  of  rich  compost. 

For  winter-flowering,  seeds  should  be  sown  in  August 
or  September,  and  the  plants  will  succeed  best  when  they 
are  grown  in  thoroughly  prepared  soil  which  is  not  made 
too  rich  with  organic  manures,  as  these  latter  encourage 
gross  growth. 


CHAPTER  VII 
SWEET   PEAS   FOR  THE  GARDEN 

OPINIONS  vary  as  to  whether  plants  grown  in  rows  or 
clumps  produce  the  finer  blooms,  some  growers  insisting 
that  rows  are  preferable,  while  others  are  equally  emphatic 
that  clumps  give  the  better  results.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
there  is  probably  little  or  no  difference.  The  reason  that 
clumps  came  so  conspicuously  into  favour  was,  no  doubt, 
that  the  soil  was  worked  better,  more  space  was  given, 
light  reached  all  parts  of  every  plant,  and  the  natural 
consequence  was  that  the  blooms  were  superior  in  every 
respect  to  those  grown  on  plants  in  rows  under  the  care- 
less system  that  prevailed  before  the  Sweet  Pea  became 
the  important  plant  that  it  is  at  present.  If  the  rows  are 
given  the  same  chances  as  the  clumps  as  far  as  mechanical 
culture  and  manuring  are  concerned,  and  ample  space 
is  allowed  the  plants,  there  will  be  nothing  to  choose 
between  the  returns  either  in  quantity  or  quality. 

For  the  decoration  of  the  garden,   however,  there  is 
much  to  be  said  in  favour  of  clumps,  since  they  can  be 

made  to  give  a  more  artistic  effect  than  rows.     For  the 

64 


SWEET    PEAS    FOR    GARDEN     65 

back  line  of  a  wide  border  a  row  of  well-grown  Sweet  Peas 
is  unsurpassable  in  beauty,  and  if  the  colours  are  judiciously 
chosen  a  mixture  will  be  more  attractive  than  individual 
varieties  kept  separate  ;  but  for  beds,  and  placing  at  intervals 
in  borders,  clumps  of  distinct  varieties  are  to  be  preferred. 
Much  depends  upon  the  extent  of  the  bed  or  the  border 
how  far  the  clumps  should  be  set  apart,  but  nothing  is 
gained  by  packing  them  until  it  is  possible  that  the  loose 
sprays  from  one  will  find  their  way  among  the  growths  of 
the  neighbouring  clump,  while  it  is  of  the  utmost  import- 
ance, especially  in  borders,  that  they  shall  not  present  a 
level  line  throughout  the  entire  length,  but  that  some 
shall  be  set  3  feet  back,  while  others  will  be  5  or  8  feet 
away  from  the  verge,  or  even  more  than  that  if  there  is 
room.  By  adopting  some  such  system  as  this,  formality 
is  avoided. 

Such  clumps  will  give  exhibition  blooms  if  the  culture 
has  been  perfect  throughout,  but  their  value  will  lie  mainly 
in  supplying  continuous  flowers  for  cutting,  for  the  decora- 
tion of  rooms,  and  for  distribution  among  friends.  The 
absolute  necessity  for  close  picking  must  never  be  over- 
looked by  those  who  require  a  long  succession,  which  is 
also  substantially  favoured  by  watering  and  mulching. 


CHAPTER   VIII 
SWEET   PEAS   FOR   DECORATIONS 

IN  this  one  respect,  if  in  no  other,  the  Sweet  Pea  may  be 
said  to  be  the  foremost  flower  in  British  gardens  at  the 
present  day.  Whether  blossoms  are  required  for  the  adorn- 
ment of  the  home  or  for  purposes  of  exhibition,  the  Sweet 
Pea  will  meet  every  demand  that  is  made  upon  it,  and  in 
the  hands  of  a  skilful  manipulator  it  is  perfectly  certain 
that  an  arrangement  can  be  made  which  will  excel  in 
artistic  beauty  that  which  will  be  forthcoming  from  any 
other  flower. 

Plants  grown  for  the  decoration  of  the  garden  will 
yield  thousands  of  flowers  for  cutting,  and  since  it  is  not 
essential  in  the  filling  of  vases,  epergnes,  and  other  orna- 
ments suitable  for  the  display  of  the  flowers,  that  each  stem 
shall  carry  four  or  more  blooms  on  its  length  of  anything 
from  1 6  inches  to  2  feet,  it  is  not  imperative  to  adopt 
elaborate  methods  of  procedure  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
plants.  At  the  same  time  it  must  be  kept  in  mind  that 
the  plant  which  is  grown  in  poor  soil,  and  is  still  further 
prejudiced  by  not  being  allowed  an  abundance  of  space  in 

66 


ARRANGING    SWEET    PEAS      67 

which  to  grow,  will  neither  give  the  numbers  of  flowers 
nor  the  quality  or  richness  of  colour  which  go  so  far  to 
provide  the  most  delightful  effects. 

In  the  majority  of  instances  varieties  of  one,  two,  or 
three  colours  are  ample  in  each  vessel,  but  occasionally 
mixtures  may  be  employed  to  create  a  decided  change. 
Care  must  be  exercised  to  set  the  stems  in  such  a 
manner  that  each  bloom  shows  its  full  charm,  and  to 
this  end  the  fewer  the  stems — provided,  of  course,  that 
the  number  is  sufficient  to  properly  furnish  the  receptacle 
— the  better ;  it  is  necessary,  too,  that  the  additions  of 
grasses  and  foliage  are  moderate,  that  it  shall  be  clearly 
apparent  that  the  Sweet  Peas  are  the  display,  and  that 
the  supplementary  things  are  merely  put  in  with  a  view 
to  enhancing  the  effect. 


CHAPTER   IX 
CUPID  AND  BUSH    VARIETIES 

WE  are  indebted  to  America  for  both  of  these  sections, 
and  it  is  well  within  the  bounds  of  possibility  that  they 
thrive  perfectly  in  the  climate  of  California  and  the  United 
States  of  America ;  but  they  certainly  do  not  flourish  here, 
and  they  are  never  likely  to  become  popular. 

The  Bush  varieties  are  precisely  similar  in  their  require- 
ments to  the  general  section,  but  instead  of  attaining  to  a 
height  of  anything  from  6  feet  upwards,  they  only  grow 
between  3  and  4  feet.  If  they  could  be  relied  upon 
to  give  abundant  blossoms  at  that  height  they  would 
undoubtedly  be  welcome  in  the  smaller  gardens,  for  the 
ordinary  varieties  are  rather  apt  to  take  up  more  space 
than  the  amateur  can  properly  afford.  Unfortunately  the 
Bush  plants  are  not  satisfactory  in  this  respect ;  therefore 
they  are  rarely  grown  in  this  country.  Some  of  these  days 
they  may  be  so  much  improved  that  they  will  rival  the 
others  in  floriferousness,  and  when  that  time  comes  it  is 
safe  to  predict  for  them  an  era  of  popularity. 

The  Cupid  section   is,  perhaps,  less  satisfactory  still, 

68 


CUPID    SWEET    PEAS  69 

for  it  is  generally  easy  to  grow  healthy  plants  that  look 
as  though  they  would  produce  thousands  of  charming 
blossoms,  and  then  to  see  all  the  buds  thrown  off  before 
expansion  ;  a  little  of  this  sort  of  thing  gets  on  the  nerves 
of  the  average  Briton,  and  he  resolves  to  let  the  Cupids 
severely  alone.  Out-of-doors  the  best  place  for  them  is 
in  a  hot,  sunny  situation  on  a  rockery  where  the  roots 
and  stems  will  be  nearly  baked,  as  they  will  then  in  a  dry 
season  give  plenty  of  flowers.  Or  if  they  are  grown  in 
pots  they  must  be  stood  in  a  position  where  they  will  get 
sun  enough  to  roast  them,  and  afterwards  they  will  some- 
times develop  all  their  buds  perfectly.  Six-inch  pots  are 
the  most  convenient,  and  each  will  accommodate  six  plants  ; 
the  soil  should  be  the  same  as  recommended  for  the  ordi- 
nary section,  but  it  must  not  be  used  in  quite  as  lumpy  a 
state.  In  any  case  the  general  culture  of  these  two  groups 
is  not  specially  recommended  ;  the  grower  who  tries  them 
should  be  wary. 


CHAPTER  X 

ENEMIES  AND   DISEASES 

THE  Sweet  Pea  has  claims  upon  the  attention  of  cultivators 
for  many  virtues — ease  of  management,  cheapness  of  seeds, 
freedom  and  persistency  of  flowering,  and  certainty  of  satis- 
factory results  if  the  conditions  are  favourable — so  that 
if  it  were  afflicted  with  many  and  varied  enemies  and 
diseases  the  grower  would  scarcely  be  justified  in  grum- 
bling to  any  serious  extent.  Happily,  however,  it  enjoys 
a  freedom  from  really  bad  attacks,  and,  with  perhaps  one 
exception,  all  the  troubles  which  do  cause  anxiety  are 
such  as  can  be  combated  without  any  substantial  outlay  of 
money  or  time.  Preventive  measures  are  possible  in  all 
instances,  and  where  the  necessity  arises  for  the  adoption 
of  remedies,  then  these  are  such  as  can  be  procured  and 
applied  without  any  loss  of  time  or  inconvenience.  Taking 
the  enemies  first,  there  are,  roughly,  only  four  which  are 
generally  troublesome,  and  to  three  of  these  attention  has 
been  drawn  in  previous  chapters.  They  are  mice,  birds, 
and  slugs ;  the  fourth  is  green  fly.  Let  us  briefly  refer 
to  each. 


THE    MOUSE    PEST  71 

There  is  very  little  doubt  that  in  many  gardens  mice 
are  the  worst  pests  of  all,  since,  if  they  once  set  to  work 
upon  the  seeds,  they  will  come  in  goodly  numbers,  and 
the  more  of  the  palatable  food  they  can  find,  the  better 
their  appetites  will  become  and  the  more  damage  they  will 
do.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing,  when  precautionary  measures 
are  not  adopted,  for  practically  the  whole  of  the  seeds  sown 
in  pots  or  boxes  in  frames  and  greenhouses  to  be  devoured  ; 
and  this  means  not  only  loss  of  seeds,  but,  what  is  even 
more  annoying  in  the  generality  of  instances,  loss  of  time 
in  the  production  of  blossoms.  Out-of-doors,  too,  the 
visitors  will  unerringly  attack  the  best  varieties,  and  leave 
anything  that  is  common  or  inferior  either  severely  alone, 
or  until  they  have  exhausted  the  good  things  of  the  earth, 
and  are  compelled  either  to  go  hungry  away  afterwards  or 
partake  of  what  still  remains  at  their  disposal. 

Prevention,  when  the  seeds  are  sown  under  glass,  is 
simplicity  itself ;  a  square  of  glass  placed  over  each  pot 
or  box  will  keep  the  small  marauders  safely  at  bay.  The 
danger  lies  up  to  the  stage  of  germination,  and  not  beyond 
it,  and  if  we  can  protect  the  seeds,  the  plants,  as  far  as 
mice  are  concerned,  are  sure  to  go  along  all  right.  In 
addition  to  the  glass,  traps  of  any  convenient  form  and 
make  should  be  kept  set,  as  it  is  desirable  not  only  that  the 
mice  should  be  stopped  from  attacking  the  seeds  in  the 
boxes,  but  also  from  going  abroad  again  and  taking  toll 


72     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

of  those  that  are  in  the  ground  out-of-doors.  In  gardens 
where  mice  are  numerous  all  seeds  should  be  thoroughly 
coated  with  red  lead  prior  to  sowing,  as  the  mice  do  not 
like  this  ;  several  traps  ought  always  to  be  set  in  and  near 
their  haunts ;  and  in  case  of  necessity  sharp  cinders  may 
be  freely  mixed  in  the  soil.  This  course  is  not,  however, 
altogether  desirable,  because,  although  they  may  do  good 
in  the  way  of  checking  mice  from  devouring  the  seeds  of 
Sweet  Peas,  cinders  are  not  invariably  advantageous  in  the 
culture  of  other  crops ;  and  as  the  Sweet  Peas  are  usually 
planted  on  fresh  quarters  each  season,  they  may  become 
something  of  a  nuisance.  Should  it  become  a  matter  of 
the  first  importance,  owing  to  the  depredations,  then  the 
cinders  must  go  in,  since  Sweet  Peas  are  assumed  here 
to  be  the  principal  crop  of  the  garden. 

After  the  seedlings  show  through  the  surface  of  the 
soil  there  will  be  two  enemies  awaiting  the  delectable 
morsels,  and  these  are  slugs  and  birds.  Of  these  the 
slimy  slug  is  indisputably  the  worse  with  which  to  deal. 
Trapping  with  small  heaps  of  brewers'  grains  or  other 
bait  is  good,  but  it  will  not  catch  all  the  depredators. 
Hunting  must  be  made  a  daily  pastime,  and  should  be 
followed  up  with  all  the  enthusiasm  that  such  a  worthy 
cause  deserves.  Applications  of  salt  are  prompt  in  their 
effects,  and  there  is  no  fear  that  the  slug  that  has  been 
completely  covered  with  this  will  do  any  further  harm 


PLATE  VI 
CLARA  CURTIS 


SLUGS    AND    BIRDS  75 

either  among  Sweet  Peas  or  any  other  plants.  Ridges  of 
lime  placed  down  each  side  of  a  row  or  encircling  a  clump 
are  regarded  as  wonderfully  good,  and  for  the  few  hours 
that  lime  so  exposed  remains  alive,  all  well  and  good ;  but 
its  virtues  are  not  lasting,  and  the  slugs  are  quite  intelli- 
gent enough  to  know  when  they  can  work  freely  in  it. 
If  lime  is  relied  upon,  it  must  be  scattered  among  the  plants 
at  frequent  intervals,  and  will  then  be  found  a  useful  deter- 
rent ;  the  same  may  be  said  for  soot,  but  this  must  not  be 
used  in  a  fresh  state  or  it  will  destroy  quite  as  many  plants 
as  the  slugs  themselves,  and  the  remedy  becomes  as  bad  as 
the  disease.  Another  excellent  method  of  attacking  slugs 
is  to  dress  the  soil,  in  strict  accordance  with  the  instructions 
given  by  the  manufacturers,  with  one  of  the  several  soil 
fumigants  that  are  now  upon  the  market.  Neither  slugs, 
nor  any  other  pest  that  lurks  in  the  ground,  likes  this  treat- 
ment, and  provided  that  the  instructions  are  rigidly  observed, 
the  plants  will  not  suffer  from  the  applications  ;  on  the 
contrary,  marked  benefit  can  often  be  directly  traced  to 
them,  apart  altogether  from  the  fact  that  they  destroy  the 
enemy. 

Coming  now  to  the  birds,  with  their  voracious  appetites, 
it  may  be  said  at  once  that  prevention  is  the  only  cure. 
If  the  young  plants  are  left  exposed,  whether  they  are 
growing  in  frames  or  the  open  ground,  the  birds  will  get 
all  the  food  they  can  from  them.  It  has  already  been  said 


76     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

that  the  topping  of  the  plants  once  will  not  materially  affect 
them,  unless  it  be  in  a  beneficial  direction,  but  to  allow 
them  to  be  repeatedly  attacked  is  to  court  disaster.  It  is, 
however,  comparatively  easy  to  prevent  injury  as  far  as  the 
young  plants  are  concerned  ;  when  it  comes  to  keeping 
sparrows  from  picking  off  the  buds  the  story  is  a  different 
one,  and  the  preventives  are  not  as  obvious.  In  regard  to 
seedlings,  there  are  wire  guards  on  the  market  which  answer 
admirably  when  placed  over  the  lines  ;  or  the  cultivator  may 
safely  rely  upon  home-made  guards  of  wood  at  each  end 
of  the  rows  from  which  strings  or  stout  thread  are  closely 
strung. 

Birds  should  be  kept  from  the  plants  in  frames  by 
having  a  light  framework  of  fine-meshed,  galvanised  wire 
netting  made  the  exact  size  of  the  light,  and  when  the 
latter  is  off,  as  it  is  frequently,  the  netting  must  be  in  use. 
It  must  not  be  forgotten,  even  for  half-an-hour,  or  much 
injury  may  be  done.  The  netting  will  not  interfere  with 
the  progress  of  the  plants,  since  it  does  not  prevent  the 
free  admission  and  circulation  of  air,  and  it  scarcely  breaks 
the  rays  of  light. 

The  last  enemy  with  which  we  have  to  deal  is  green  fly. 
When  this  pest  becomes  comfortably  established  on  the  plants 
it  will  need  all  the  grower's  patience  and  perseverance  to 
exterminate  it  ;  but  it  should  never  be  allowed  to  settle 
itself  so  firmly.  If  a  close  look-out  is  kept  at  all  stages  of 


GREEN    FLY  77 

growth,  and  every  fly  that  is  seen  is  promptly  destroyed, 
the  trouble  will  be  lessened  materially.  It  multiplies  with 
extraordinary  rapidity,  and  the  descendants  of  one  or  two 
pairs  become  a  crowded  city  in  a  week.  When  the  numbers 
are  considerable,  dusting  with  tobacco  powder  or  snuff,  or 
syringing  with  a  solution  of  either  tobacco  or  paraffin,  will 
do  good  ;  but  it  is  far  better  not  to  wait  until  these  drastic 
measures  are  necessary. 

A  useful  solution  of  tobacco  can  be  made  by  soaking 
2  ounces  of  strong  shag  tobacco  in  one  gallon  of  water. 
To  make  a  paraffin  solution,  boil  4  ounces  each  of  soft  soap 
and  quassia  in  separate  vessels  ;  put  the  liquors  together  in 
about  a  gallon  and  a  half  of  water,  place  on  the  fire,  and 
when  the  whole  lot  is  boiling  furiously,  remove  the  pot,  put 
in  a  wineglassful  of  paraffin,  and  stir  vigorously  ;  the  working 
in  of  the  oil  when  the  water  is  boiling  hard  will  go  far  to 
ensure  perfect  amalgamation.  All  applications  of  either  of 
these  washes  are  best  made  in  the  evening  after  the  sun  has 
gone  down,  but  this  is  not  essential,  provided  that  the  mixing 
is  thorough  and  that  no  raw  paraffin  is  floating  about.  The 
syringe  or  sprayer  used  must  be  one  capable  of  throwing 
a  fine  film,  not  only  because  this  is  more  economical,  but 
also  because  it  is  far  more  efficacious.  Thrips  occasionally 
attack  the  points  of  the  shoots,  and  must  be  destroyed  by 
hand  picking. 

The  great  scare  in  regard  to  diseases  of  Sweet  Peas  is 


78      PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

streak.  What  it  really  is,  or  whence  it  comes,  no  one  has 
any  clear  idea ;  or  if  they  have  they  are  keeping  the  know- 
ledge to  themselves.  Streak  is  not  one  half  as  prevalent  as 
the  alarmists  would  have  us  believe.  Directly  a  man  finds 
a  plant  yellowing  a  little  at  the  base  he  decides  that  it  is 
streak,  whereas  it  is  far  more  likely  to  be  ordinary  Pea 
mould,  or  even  failure,  for  which  no  reason  can  be  found, 
but  which  is,  generally  speaking,  more  prevalent  in  old, 
thoroughly  cultivated  garden  soils  which  have  been  manured 
year  after  year  with  natural  manures  and  have  gradually 
become  overstocked  with  humus. 

There  is  undoubtedly  a  condition  known  as  streak,  but 
so  long  as  it  remains  in  its  present  stage  growers  have  no 
cause  to  worry.  It  will  destroy  odd  plants,  but  if  these  are 
pulled  up  as  soon  as  they  are  seen  the  grower  will  not  suffer 
very  great  loss.  Those  who  do  not  understand  the  differ- 
ence between  streak,  mould,  or  yellowing  need  not  give 
themselves  a  moment's  anxiety  in  the  matter.  The  thing 
is  to  pull  up  and  burn  the  plant  in  any  case,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  the  mould  is  difficult,  and  often  impossible,  to 
cure ;  the  yellowing  is  not  a  disease  in  the  strict  sense  of 
the  word,  and  cannot  be  cured  ;  while  nothing  being  known 
about  streak,  it  is  obviously  impossible  for  the  cultivator  to 
take  any  effectual  remedial  measures. 

If  the  enemies  and  diseases  which  attack  Sweet  Peas 
were  as  numerous  and  varied  in  character  as  those  that  pay 


STREAK    AND    FUNGUS    MOULD     79 

their  unwelcome  attentions  to  many  other  plants  the  trouble 
might  become  a  real  one,  but  up  to  the  present  it  is  nothing. 
Of  course,  the  man  who  has  mould,  or  yellowing,  or  who 
suspects  streak  will  adopt  preventive  measures,  and  the 
most  effectual  is  to  change  the  position  of  the  plants,  putting 
them  as  far  away  from  the  infested  area  as  possible  in  the 
following  season.  He  will  supplement  this  by  generous 
dressings  of  lime,  spreading  it  on  the  surface  to  a  depth  of 
half  an  inch  or  thereabouts,  and  after  a  week  or  ten  days 
pricking  it  into  the  ground.  This  will  destroy  the  spores 
of  any  fungi  with  which  it  may  happen  to  come  in  contact, 
and  will  at  the  same  time  sweeten  and  immensely  improve 
the  fertility  of  the  soil.  The  genuine  streak,  it  may  be  of 
interest  to  note,  runs  in  clearly  defined,  dark  lines  up  the 
stems,  but  at  a  certain  stage  of  mould  the  resemblance  of 
this  disease  is  very  close. 


CHAPTER   XI 
FIFTY   STANDARD  VARIETIES 

THE  increase  in  the  number  of  varieties  is  such  that  there 
are  somewhere  between  500  and  600  which  are  possibly 
obtainable.  Not  a  single  grower  knows  all  of  these, 
and  probably  not  one  of  them  desires  that  knowledge. 
Hundreds  have  been  superseded  by  later  introductions  of 
superior  merit,  while  among  others  the  differences  are  so 
slight,  that  only  those  who  are  especially  desirous  of  seeing 
them  can  find  them  ;  the  ordinary  individual,  even  if  he  be  a 
whole-souled  enthusiast,  may  have  a  dim  idea  that  the  two 
similar  flowers  are  not  identical,  but  he  cannot  say  definitely 
where  the  difference  is  or  of  what  it  consists. 

The  raiser  of  new  varieties  finds  many  swans  ;  the  grower 
who  purchases  them  finds  many  geese,  and  wretchedly  poor 
ones  at  that.  The  buyer  blames  the  distributor  for  putting 
inferior  varieties  upon  the  market ;  the  distributor  blames 
the  buyer  for  insisting  on  getting  a  constant  succession 
of  new  names.  It  is  probable  that  the  purchaser  is  the 
more  to  blame  of  the  two,  since  he  will  not  be  contented 
to  grow  the  same  varieties  season  after  season,  with  an 


STANDARD    VARIETIES          81 

addition  of  two  or  three  new  ones  each  year,  but  must 
have  a  dozen  or  more  novelties  to  keep  his  keenness  up  to 
concert  pitch  ;  the  raiser  and  distributor  know  that  there  is 
the  demand,  and  it  is  only  human  nature  to  try  to  provide 
the  supply. 

All  Sweet  Pea  growers  would  complain  if  the  supply 
of  novelties  ceased  ;  their  introduction  is  desirable  ;  but 
novelties  must  be  either  decidedly  superior  to,  or  totally 
distinct  from,  any  varieties  already  in  commerce.  Slight 
improvements  or  variations  which  can  only  be  seen  under  a 
microscope  are  not  wanted,  and  they  will  eventually  do  far 
more  harm  to  the  flower  than  they  will  good,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  many  amateurs  will  become  tired  of  paying 
high  prices  without  receiving  reasonable  compensation. 

The  Court  of  Appeal  will  have  to  be  the  National  Sweet 
Pea  Society,  which  must  make  itself  so  strong  and  so  re- 
liable that  every  one  in  the  Sweet  Pea  world,  no  matter 
whether  he  dwell  in  this  country,  or  in  any  of  the  British 
possessions  over  the  seas,  or  in  any  foreign  country,  will 
accept  the  Society's  decision  that  this  or  that  novelty  from 
this  or  that  source  is  absolutely  distinct,  markedly  superior, 
and  thoroughly  fixed,  and  therefore  worthy  of  purchase. 
When  the  Society  adopts  such  a  policy,  some  people, 
being  dissatisfied,  will  threaten  to  withdraw  their  support, 
and  the  thing  will  be  to  let  them  go.  Directly  the  flood 
of  prosperity  sets  in  it  will  continue  to  flow,  and  for 


82     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

each  one  who  falls  out  a  score  will  fall  in  ;  and  later,  the 
malcontents  will  see  that  the  work  is  to  their  interests 
and  will  come  back  into  the  ranks.  Any  wavering  on  the 
part  of  the  Society  from  a  clearly  defined  line  of  straight- 
forward action  will  contribute  to  the  commencement  of  its 
downfall,  and  when  this  starts  it  will  not  be  found  easy  to 
stop  it.  The  Society  should  live  as  well  for  the  trade 
grower  and  distributor  as  for  the  amateur,  and  if  it  serve 
both  well  it  will  be  fulfilling  the  task  for  which  it  was 
established.  Should  any  one  who  reads  this  book  not 
yet  be  a  member  of  that  Society,  he  ought  to  become 
one  at  once,  for  he  will  find  the  modest  fee  an  excellent 
investment. 

From  the  immense  number  of  varieties  now  in  com- 
merce, it  is  no  easy  task  to  select  as  few  as  fifty  and  feel 
able  to  affirm  that  these  are  the  best  that  can  be  grown. 
But  the  task  must  be  attempted,  since  a  complete  catalogue, 
although  it  may  have  a  certain  interest,  cannot  have  a 
practical  value  to  the  man  who  wants  to  start  a  collection, 
for  he  would  not  know  which  are  distinct  and  meritorious. 

In  the  subjoined  selections  it  may  be  well  to  state  at 
once  that  no  variety  is  mentioned  which  was  not  in  com- 
merce in  the  spring  of  1910,  so  that  it  is  safe  to  assert  that 
all  of  them  will  be  seen  at  the  exhibitions  of  the  National 
Sweet  Pea  and  other  Societies  in  parts  of  the  country. 
The  learner  may  utilise  the  list  as  suggestive,  and  then 


STANDARD    VARIETIES          83 

seek  in  the  gardens  of  his  friends  and  at  the  shows  for 
the  varieties  recommended,  when  he  will  find  it  a  com- 
paratively easy  matter  to  choose  those  which  especially 
appeal  to  him  in  colour  and  form. 

The  colour  classification  of  the  National  Sweet  Pea 
Society  will  be  followed,  as  this  will  still  further  facilitate 
the  subsequent  making  of  selections  by  individual  growers. 
The  impression  is  steadily  but  surely  growing  that  the 
time  has  come  when  this  scheme  requires  careful  revision 
and  extension,  but  until  this  is  done  it  must  be  accepted  as 
the  standard  of  the  Sweet  Pea  world.  Unless  it  appears 
to  be  essential,  no  descriptions  will  be  appended  to  varieties  ; 
these  can  be  procured  from  the  catalogues  either  of  the 
Society  or  the  seed  merchants. 

White. — Etta  Dyke.    Nora  Unwin.    *  Dorothy  Eckford. 

Crimson  and  Scarlet. — King  Edward  Spencer  (under  one 
of  its  several  names).  George  Stark.  Sunproof  Crimson 
(Dobbie's).  *  Queen  Alexandra. 

Rose  and  Carmine. — John  Ingman.     Marjorie  Willis. 

Yellow  and  Buff.— Clara  Curtis.  *  Mrs.  Collier.  Para- 
dise Ivory. 

Blue.— A..  }.  Cook.     *  Lord  Nelson. 

Blush. — Mrs.  Hardcastle  Sykes. 

Cerise. — *  Chrissie  Unwin.  Coccinea  Spencer  (under 
one  or  other  name). 

Pink. — Countess  Spencer.     Audrey  Crier. 


84     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

Cream  Pink. — Constance  Oliver.     Mrs.  Hugh  Dickson. 

Orange  Shades. — Helen  Lewis.  Maggie  Stark.  *  St. 
George.  Up  to  the  present  both  the  beautiful  Earl  Spencer 
and  the  glorious  Nancy  Perkin  are  classed  in  the  orange 
shades,  but  it  does  not  quite  meet  the  merits  of  the  case, 
since  both  are  absolutely  distinct  from  any  other  variety  in 
commerce.  It  is  possible  that  there  will  be  two  strains  of 
Earl  Spencer,  one  waved  and  the  other  plain  ;  the  former 
should  be  chosen  and  the  latter  regarded  as  untrue. 

Lavender. — Frank  Dolby.  Masterpiece.  *  Lady  Grisell 
Hamilton.  Lavender  George  Herbert. 

Violet  and  Purple. — Rosie  Adams.     Mrs.  Charles  Mander. 

*  Duke  of  Westminster. 

Magenta. — Menie  Christie.     *  George  Gordon. 

Mauve. — The  Marquis.     *  Mrs.  Walter  Wright. 

Maroon  and  Bronze. — *  Black  Knight.  Black  Knight 
Spencer.  *  Dudley  Lees.  Prince  of  Asturias. 

Picotee  Edged. — Evelyn  Hemus.     Elsie  Herbert. 

Striped  and  Flaked,  Red  and  Rose. — Aurora  Spencer. 
America  Spencer.  *  Jessie  Cuthbertson. 

Striped  and  Flaked,  Purple  and  Blue.—*  Prince   Olaf. 

*  Marbled  Blue. 

Fancy. — *  Sybil  Eckford. 

Bicolor. — Mrs.  Andrew  Ireland.    Apple  Blossom  Spencer. 

*  Jeannie  Gordon. 

Marbled.—*  Helen  Pierce. 


STANDARD    VARIETIES  85 

The  order  in  which  the  names  are  given  in  each  colour 
is  not  necessarily  that  of  merit.  Those  varieties  marked 
with  an  asterisk  are  plain,  while  all  the  others  have  more  or 
less  waved  standards  and  wings.  It  may  be  accepted  that, 
with  one  or  two  exceptions,  all  of  these  are  quite  distinct, 
but  those  who  desire  to  limit  their  collection  to  varieties 
which  are  perfectly  dissimilar,  and  to  have  a  representative 
of  each  colour  group,  might  do  worse  than  make  a  start 
with  the  following  sorts  and  improve  upon  it  according  to 
their  individual  tastes  :  Etta  Dyke,  King  Edward  Spencer, 
John  Ingman,  Clara  Curtis,  A.  J.  Cook,  Mrs.  Hardcastle 
Sykes,  Chrissie  Unwin,  Countess  Spencer,  Mrs.  Hugh 
Dickson,  Helen  Lewis,  Asta  Ohn,  Menie  Christie,  Rosie 
Adams,  The  Marquis,  Black  Knight,  Evelyn  Hemus,  Aurora 
Spencer,  Prince  Olaf,  Sybil  Eckford,  Mrs.  A.  Ireland,  and 
Helen  Pierce.  Practically  the  whole  of  these  have  the 
additional  recommendation  of  almost  complete  fixity,  so 
that  the  grower  may  feel  assured  of  growing  the  colours 
which  he  anticipates  from  the  descriptions. 


CHAPTER   XII 
IN    THE    LIBRARY 

A  FEW  years  ago  there  were  no  books  wholly  devoted  to 
the  Sweet  Pea,  except  those  which  were  more  in  the  form 
of  catalogues  published  by  one  of  the  great  Calif ornian 
seed-growers.  But  the  institution  of  the  National  Sweet 
Pea  Society  changed  all  that. 

It  is  to  the  Society's  credit  that  it  was  the  first  to 
issue  a  book  on  the  Sweet  Pea ;  this  was  the  report  of  the 
Bicentenary  Celebration  held  at  the  Crystal  Palace  in  1899. 
After  a  short  interval  the  Society  commenced  to  issue  its 
Annual,  intended  to  foster  a  love  of  the  flower,  and  to 
widely  distribute  information  in  reference  to  cultural  matters 
and  varieties.  These  issues  were  followed  in  rapid  suc- 
cession by  others  from  private  sources.  For  the  complete 
list  that  is  given  below  we  are  mainly  indebted  to  Mr.  C. 
Harman  Payne's  Florist's  Bibliography. 

The  Report  of  the  Sweet  Pea  Bicentenary.  Published 
by  the  National  Sweet  Pea  Society,  and  now  probably 
unprocurable. 

86 


IN    THE    LIBRARY  87 

The  Sweet  Pea  Annual,  1905,  -6,  -7,  -8,  -9,  and  -10. 
Edited  by  Horace  J.  Wright  and  Charles  H.  Curtis,  and 
published  by  the  Society.  Free  to  members  and  affiliated 
Societies.  Issued  to  the  public  at  2s.,  post  free. 

Sweet  Peas  and  their  Cultivation.  By  Charles  H.  Curtis. 
Published  by  W.  H.  &  L.  Collingridge.  Price  is.  in  paper 
boards,  and  is.  6d.  in  cloth. 

The  Culture  of  Sweet  Peas.  By  Richard  Dean.  Pub- 
lished by  the  Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Association. 
Price  one  penny. 

The  Sweet  Pea.  One  of  the  series  of  Horticultural 
Handbooks  issued  by  Hobbies. 

How  to  Grow  Sweet  Peas.  By  Thomas  Stevenson  and 
W.  F.  May. 

All  about  Sweet  Peas.  By  Robert  Sydenham.  Pub- 
lished personally.  Price  6d. 

Sweet  Peas  and  How  to  Grow  Them.  By  Harry  H. 
Thomas.  Published  by  Cassell  &  Co.  Price  is.  in  paper 
boards,  and  is.  6d.  in  cloth. 

A  Second  Account  of  Sweet  Peas.  By  A.  P.  Wyman 
and  M.  G.  Kains.  Bulletin  127  of  the  Cornell  University, 
Horticultural  Division,  Ithaca,  N.J. 

Culture  and  History  of  Winter  Flowering  Sweet  Peas. 
By  Anthony  C.  Zvolanek. 

Book  about  Sweet  Peas.  By  Walter  P.  Wright.  Pub- 
lished by  Headley  Bros.  Price  2s.  and  2s.  6d. 


88     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

The  Book  of  the  Sweet  Pea.  By  D.  B.  Crane.  Pub- 
lished by  John  Lane.  Price  2s.  6d. 

Sweet  Peas  Up-to-Date.  By  G.  W.  Kern  Published  by 
W.  Atlee  Burpee.  U.S.A. 

Les  Pols  de  senteur.  By  G.  D.  Clark,  Dover.  Published 
personally. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
CULTURE   OF  SWEET   PEAS   FOR   EXHIBITION 

BY  THOMAS  STEVENSON 

IN  considering  the  subject  of  Sweet  Peas  for  exhibition,  I 
am  led  to  recall  the  circumstances  of  ten  years  ago.  At 
that  time  there  certainly  were  classes  for  Peas  at  some  of 
the  leading  shows,  but  the  exhibitors  did  not  treat  the 
matter  very  seriously  ;  nor  was  it  difficult  to  win  prizes. 
Even  to-day  the  prizes  are  never  very  high,  nor  are  there 
large  numbers  of  classes,  but  Sweet  Pea  growers  are  so 
enthusiastic  that  the  classes  are  well  filled  and  Sweet  Peas 
occupy  at  least  one-third  of  the  space  devoted  to  cut  flowers, 
and  far  outclass  any  other  individual  flower,  not  excepting 
the  Rose.  All  the  time  the  exhibition  is  open  an  enthu- 
siastic crowd  may  be  seen  round  the  exhibits,  discuss- 
ing the  merits  of  each  variety.  This  is  not  all,  for  when 
travelling  to  or  from  the  city  by  tram,  train,  or  'bus,  one 
can  again  hear  the  merits  of  every  variety  discussed,  not  by 
one,  but  by  scores  of  men,  who  seem  to  have  only  one  end 
in  view,  namely,  the  exhibiting  of  Peas.  It  may  not  be  in 
large,  open  competitions,  but  just  a  friendly  affair  arranged 


9o     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

by  members  of  one  firm,  or  possibly  the  clerks  in  one  office  ; 
there  are  scores  of  these  competitions  held  in  London 
alone.  It  is  this  class  of  exhibitor  that  the  present  chapter 
may  benefit  more  than  any  other,  for  such  growers  are 
always  anxious  to  improve  their  knowledge  whereby  they 
can  gain  a  point  or  two  at  future  exhibitions. 

In  order  to  be  successful  in  exhibiting  Sweet  Peas,  as  in 
all  other  things,  a  certain  amount  of  time  and  thought  is 
absolutely  necessary,  and  nothing  from  start  to  finish  must  be 
performed  in  a  perfunctory  manner.  Method,  hard  work, 
and  attention  to  the  smallest  detail  must  be  practised  by  every 
one  who  would  attempt  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  such 
men  as  Jones,  Malcolm,  Cole,  Hopkins,  and  Usher.  These 
giants  would  tell  you  that  their  plants  are  given  daily,  yes 
hourly,  attention  from  the  day  the  seeds  are  sown  to  the  time 
the  haulm  is  pulled  up  and  burnt  after  harvesting  the  seeds. 

Seed  Sowing. — There  are  various  dates  and  methods 
recommended  for  sowing  the  seed  of  Sweet  Peas,  some 
favouring  one  time  and  some  another.  Many  exhibitors 
sow  out-of-doors  in  autumn,  and  in  gardens  where  the 
soil  is  of  a  light  nature  and  exceptionally  well  drained 
this  method  succeeds  admirably.  Others  sow  in  pots  in 
autumn,  and  winter  the  young  plants  in  cold  frames  ;  while 
still  others  sow  the  seeds  in  spring,  either  in  pots  or  in  the 
open  ground.  By  each  method  success  may  be  obtained. 
Before  deciding  which  system  is  best  to  adopt  there  are 


PLATE   VII 
SUNPROOF  CRIMSON 


SEED    SOWING  93 

many  things  to  be  taken  into  consideration,  such  as  the 
locality,  whether  in  the  northern  or  southern  counties ; 
whether  the  soil  is  light  and  warm,  or  cold  and  heavy  ;  and 
lastly,  what  are  the  dates  when  the  flowers  will  be  required 
to  be  at  their  best. 

From  observations  made  during  a  number  of  years  on 
light  and  heavy  soils  in  both  dry  and  wet  seasons,  I  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  sowing  in  pots  in  autumn  is 
by  far  the  best  system  ;  but  I  would  not  go  as  far  as  to 
suggest  that  cultivators  should  have  all  their  eggs  in  one 
basket,  as  it  were,  but  rather  that  they  should  try  the  two 
systems,  sowing  in  pots  in  autumn  and  sowing  in  pots  in 
spring.  At  the  same  time  I  have  no  doubt  in  my  own 
mind  as  to  which  system  will  give  the  largest  and  best- 
coloured  flowers,  with  good  stems,  and  which  plants  will 
continue  to  bloom  for  the  greatest  length  of  time.  Even  in 
1909,  which  was  anything  but  an  ideal  season,  the  autumn- 
sown  plants  commenced  blooming  early,  giving  flowers 
larger,  stronger,  and  better  able  to  withstand  ungenial 
weather  than  those  sown  in  the  spring,  and  they  flowered 
freely  until  the  end  of  September.  Plants  raised  in  autumn 
and  kept  hardy  all  the  winter  make  a  greater  proportion  of 
roots  than  top  growth.  The  roots  are  very  hardy,  and 
when  planted  out  early  in  April  quickly  take  hold  of  the 
soil  and  develop  young  roots,  which  are  not  by  any  means 
so  tender  and  susceptible  to  cold  as  the  softer  roots  of 


94     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

spring-sown  plants,  so  that  growth  from  the  outset  is  more 
vigorous  and  hardy.  For  autumn  sowing  in  pots,  seeds 
must  be  obtained  early  from  the  seedsmen,  as  they  should 
be  sown  by  the  middle  of  October.  A  fairly  light  com- 
post should  be  prepared  consisting  of  loam  and  leaf-mould, 
and  a  little  sand  to  keep  it  porous ;  the  addition  of  bone 
meal,  say  a  5 -inch  potful  to  a  wheelbarrow  load  of  the 
compost,  will  not  be  detrimental,  though  it  is  not  really 
necessary.  The  one  aim  should  be  to  keep  the  plants  as 
sturdy  as  possible.  Pots  5  inches  or  6  inches  in  diameter 
are  the  best  to  use,  and  they  should  be  filled  to  within 
i£  inches  of  the  rim  with  the  compost,  pressing  it  only 
moderately  firm.  Five  or  six  seeds  may  be  put  round  the 
sides  of  the  5-inch  pot,  while  eight  or  nine  may  be  put 
in  a  6-inch  pot.  Some  of  the  larger  and  harder  seeded 
varieties  should  be  chipped  before  sowing  with  the  point  of 
a  knife  (be  careful  not  to  injure  the  interior),  to  induce 
them  to  germinate  quickly.  I  have  found  seeds  of  Elsie 
Herbert  quite  hard  and  sound  after  being  sown  for  two  or 
three  months,  and  which  afterwards  pushed  through  the  soil 
in  a  very  few  days  after  having  a  little  of  the  hard  skin 
removed.  Cover  the  seed  over  with  soil,  and  place  the 
pots  in  a  cold  frame,  after  which  a  thorough  soaking  of 
water  must  be  applied.  Place  the  lights  on  the  frame, 
and  keep  it  moderately  close  until  the  young  plants  appear 
through  the  soil,  when  air  must  be  given  freely,  and  as  the 


SPRING    SOWING  95 

plants  get  harder  the  lights  may  be  removed  entirely  on  fine 
days,  but  not  before  taking  the  precaution  to  put  an  old 
fruit  net  over  the  frame,  or  there  will  be  trouble  with  the 
birds.  I  ought  to  have  said  that  at  the  time  of  sowing  the 
seeds  a  few  small  pieces  of  bread-and-butter  should  be 
coated  with  phosphorus  paste  and  placed  about  among  the 
pots  to  poison  mice  that  may  be  present.  Prevention  is 
better  than  cure  in  such  cases.  After  the  plants  are  nicely 
up  and  in  leaf  the  lights  should  only  be  put  on  in  the  event 
of  very  wet  or  frosty  weather.  In  cases  of  prolonged  frost 
or  snow  it  will  be  wise  to  cover  the  frames  with  mats,  but 
do  not  coddle  the  plants  too  much  ;  take  the  mats  off  every 
day  and  admit  air,  if  only  for  an  hour  or  two.  A  little 
frost  will  not  hurt  the  plants  when  they  are  moderately 
dry  at  the  root ;  therefore  the  necessary  watering  should 
be  done  as  much  as  possible  when  the  weather  is  mild. 

Spring  sowing  in  pots  should  be  done  in  February,  and 
as  February  is  an  unusually  cold  month  it  will  be  best  to 
place  the  pots  on  a  shelf  in  a  cool  house  until  the  plants 
are  through  the  soil,  when  they  may  be  taken  to  a  cold 
frame  and  treated  similarly  to  the  autumn-sown  plants, 
adopting  the  same  precautions  against  mice,  slugs,  birds, 
and  frost. 

Where  a  fairly  large  quantity  of  plants  is  required,  say 
from  three  to  four  dozen  of  one  variety,  boxes  may  be 
employed  in  place  of  pots,  and  they  can  be  handled  with 


96      PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

greater  convenience.  The  boxes  should  be  from  4  to  5 
inches  deep,  and  the  seeds  should  be  placed  about  2  inches 
apart,  covering  them  with  |  inch  of  soil.  They  will  germinate 
even  quicker  in  boxes  than  in  pots,  owing,  no  doubt,  to  the 
greater  amount  of  soil  and  a  more  equal  degree  of  moisture. 

When  sowing  in  pots  avoid  using  new  pots,  for  on 
one  or  two  occasions  I  have  found  when  the  young  roots 
have  come  in  contact  with  the  sides  they  have  been 
killed  outright  (possibly  through  something  that  has  been 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  the  pots).  This  was  even  after 
the  pots  had  been  soaked  for  an  hour  or  two  in  a  tank  of 
water  before  using  them. 

Sowing  Out-of-doors  in  Autumn.— Only  in  very  favoured 
localities  can  this  method  be  practised  with  any  degree  of 
success  for  exhibition  purposes,  but  where  the  soil  is  light 
and  the  atmosphere  generally  fairly  dry  and  free  from 
fog,  autumn  sowings  out-of-doors  are  usually  productive 
of  early  flowers.  I  have  not  found  them  quite  as  early 
as  spring-sown  plants — indeed  they  are  sometimes  very 
much  later  in  blooming  than  those  planted  out  from  pots, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  soil  and  situation  are  all 
that  could  be  desired  for  the  purpose.  Another  point  worth 
consideration  is  the  amount  of  seed  necessary  for  outdoor 
sowing,  for  one  must  make  an  allowance  of  50  per  cent,  at 
the  least  for  the  ravages  of  birds,  slugs,  mice,  and  frost.  I 
cannot  recommend  the  adoption  of  this  method  except  in 


SOWING    IN    AUTUMN  97 

cases  where  the  conditions  are  very  favourable ;  however, 
those  who  wish  to  try  it  should  have  the  ground  prepared 
early  in  September  (as  will  be  advised  later),  so  as  to  sow 
the  seeds  at  the  beginning  of  October.  Many  failures 
occur  through  the  seeds  being  sown  too  early,  for  the 
plants  then  get  so  tall  that  they  are  easily  injured  by  frost. 
Two  drills  should  be  drawn  from  2  to  3  inches  deep, 
and  about  i  foot  asunder,  placing  the  seed,  which  must 
be  coated  with  red  lead,  about  2  inches  apart  in  the  drills, 
and  covering  it  carefully  with  fine  soil ;  if  this  is  of  a  very 
light  nature  it  may  be  trodden  lightly  over. 

As  soon  as  the  young  plants  appear  through  the  ground 
they  must  be  dusted  over  with  soot  to  ward  off  slugs,  and 
this  must  be  done  frequently  right  through  the  winter. 
Wire  guards  must  be  put  over  them  to  keep  off  birds ;  or 
benders  with  fish-netting  will  answer  quite  as  well. 

A  keen  look-out  must  be  kept  for  mice,  or  they  will 
eat  the  young  plants  off  close  to  the  ground.  Pieces 
of  bread  covered  with  phosphorus  paste  should  be  put 
frequently  here  and  there  along  the  rows.  Trapping  may 
also  be  employed,  and  I  have  found  nothing  better  than 
the  old  figure  4  trap  in  conjunction  with  two  slates. 

When  possible  the  soil  must  be  kept  lightly  stirred  with 
a  small  hand-hoe,  taking  care  to  have  the  surface  quite  fine, 
as  the  coarser  the  soil  round  the  plants,  the  more  harbour 
there  is  for  slugs. 


98      PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

As  soon  as  the  plants  begin  to  grow  in  the  spring 
they  will  require  staking,  but  this  matter  will  be  treated 
of  later. 

Spring  Sowing  Out-of-doors. — This  is  similar  to  autumn 
sowing,  and  may  be  done  in  light  soils  during  February, 
but,  generally  speaking,  early  in  March  is  the  better  time. 
There  is  then  not  much  fear  of  losses  by  frost,  the  only 
critical  time  being  when  the  seedling  is  just  pushing  out 
its  young  shoots ;  then,  if  the  conditions  are  wet  and  a 
severe  frost  sets  in,  they  are  apt  to  get  frozen,  but  once 
they  pass  through  the  ground  any  ordinary  frost  will  not 
injure  them  in  the  least.  The  general  instructions  given 
for  the  autumn  sowing  apply  equally  well  to  this  sowing. 
I  have  never  seen  Peas  sown  out-of-doors,  even  in  spring, 
grow  so  strongly  or  give  such  good  results  as  those  sown 
indoors  and  planted  out. 

Preparation  of  the  Ground. — This  work  is  most  essen- 
tial in  the  successful  cultivation  of  Sweet  Peas,  for  nothing 
that  can  be  done  afterwards  will  compensate  for  neglect  in 
this  matter.  A  few  extra  hours'  work,  or  an  extra  load  of 
manure,  will  be  more  than  repaid  by  the  better  results. 

In  choosing  a  position  for  growing  exhibition  Peas, 
endeavour  to  secure  a  piece  of  ground  that  is  fairly  exposed 
and  which  has  not  grown  any  leguminous  plants  for  a 
year  or  two.  If  it  is  sheltered  on  one  or  two  sides  from 
the  cold  winds,  then  so  much  the  better  ;  and  a  little  shade 


PREPARATION    OF    GROUND     99 

at  some  period  of  the  day  may  not  hurt  them  ;  but  the 
ground  must  not  be  overhung  by  large  trees,  or  it  will 
be  found  that  not  only  will  the  tops  shade  the  Peas  too 
much,  but  the  tree  roots  will  rob  the  soil  of  nourishment 
required  by  the  Peas.  For  autumn  sowing  the  ground 
must  be  trenched  early  in  September,  but  for  those  Peas 
raised  in  pots  for  planting  out  in  the  spring  it  need  not 
be  trenched  until  later.  In  fairly  light  soils  any  time  after 
November  will  do,  as  a  little  consolidation  afterwards  will 
not  hurt ;  but  for  heavy,  retentive  soils,  which  during  rains 
are  apt  to  run  together  again,  the  months  of  January  and 
February  provide  the  best  time.  The  trenching  should 
be  done  at  least  three  spits  deep,  and  when  the  subsoil 
is  heavy  and  close,  plenty  of  opening  material,  such  as 
leaves,  sweepings  from  the  flower-garden,  wood-ashes,  and 
old  lime  rubble,  may  be  worked  in.  Do  not  put  the 
materials  in  layers,  but  incorporate  them  with  the  soil. 
In  the  bottom  and  second  spit  plenty  of  good,  rich 
manure  should  be  utilised.  Manure  from  the  cow-yard  or 
bullock  pens  is  very  good,  or,  if  it  could  be  procured  from 
a  butcher  who  kills  his  own  cattle  and  throws  the  blood 
over  the  manure  heap,  this  will  be  better  still,  and  will  not 
need  to  be  used  in  quite  such  large  quantities.  Failing 
these,  however,  ordinary  stable  manure  will  answer  admir- 
ably ;  but  neither  must  be  left  in  layers  in  the  trench,  for 
once  the  roots  get  into  large  quantities  of  it  they  will  stay 


ioo     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

there,  instead  of  going  further  afield.  Then  the  growth 
will  be  sappy,  and  will  fail  just  at  a  critical  time,  and  we 
shall  hear  of  another  bad  attack  of  streak,  or  some  such 
disease.  Neither  must  this  strong  manure  be  brought 
nearer  than  one  foot  to  the  surface  of  the  soil.  In  the 
top  spit  a  little  bone-meal,  soot,  and  wood  ashes  may  be 
worked,  and  during  the  operation  all  the  soil  must  be 
thoroughly  well  broken  up  with  the  spade  or  fork,  not 
leaving  it  in  large  lumps,  as  the  finer  the  soil  the  more 
likely  are  the  roots  to  ramify  in  it ;  and  in  this  free  root 
action  lies  the  great  secret  of  success. 

It  is  a  practice  with  some  people  when  trenching  to 
bring  the  bottom  spit  to  the  top,  and  when  the  soil  has 
been  trenched  a  number  of  times  it  may  answer  well ;  but 
if  the  subsoil  is  very  heavy  and  clayey  it  is  best  to  leave  it 
underneath,  and  put  plenty  of  leaves  and  other  opening 
material  with  it  for  a  year  or  two,  when  it  will  be  in  a  better 
condition  for  sowing  or  planting.  Generally  speaking,  after 
skimming  the  surface,  and  putting  this  in  the  bottom  of  the 
trench,  it  is  better  to  keep  the  top  spit  on  the  top,  although 
this  will  cause  a  little  more  labour  when  trenching. 

As  the  trenching  operation  proceeds,  apply  a  good 
sprinkling  of  lime  over  the  surface  ;  this  will  tend  to  sweeten 
the  soil,  as  well  as  make  it  more  workable.  On  very  heavy 
soil  ridging  may  be  done  even  after  trenching,  thus  exposing 
a  large  amount  of  soil  to  the  action  of  the  weather.  When 


PLANTING    EXHIBITION    PEAS     101 

the  time  comes  for  planting,  these  ridges,  broken  down,  will 
provide  a  good  amount  of  dry  soil  for  planting  in  or  for 
sowing  seeds,  whichever  is  wished. 

Planting. — If  the  young  plants  have  been  hardened 
off,  and  the  soil  is  in  a  proper  workable  condition,  the 
autumn-sown  plants  may  be  put  out  any  time  after  the 
middle  of  March,  and  the  spring-sown  ones  as  soon  after 
as  possible.  Make  quite  sure  first  that  the  plants  are  hard 
in  the  stem  by  exposing  them  to  plenty  of  air.  A  day  or 
two  before  planting,  the  surface  of  the  soil  should  be  lightly 
forked  over  and  a  little  superphosphate  worked  into  it. 

For  exhibition  purposes  Sweet  Peas  ought  to  be  planted 
in  rows,  and  if  these  extend  from  east  to  west  those  varieties 
that  require  shading  will  only  need  it  on  one  side  of  the 
row.  When  planting,  endeavour  to  put  all  such  varieties  as 
near  together  as  possible.  For  economy  of  space  planting 
should  be  done  in  double  rows,  i  foot  apart,  allowing 
about  i  foot  from  plant  to  plant ;  and  if  6  feet  can  be 
allowed  from  centre  to  centre  of  each  pair  of  rows  this  will 
be  ample,  but  if  the  cultivator  is  pushed  for  space  a  distance 
of  5  feet  will  suffice.  Shake  out  each  plant  individually, 
taking  care  not  to  damage  the  roots  ;  make  a  good  hole, 
and  spread  the  roots  out  carefully ;  press  the  soil  well  around 
them,  and  be  particularly  careful  around  the  collar  of  the 
plant.  Next  give  a  thorough  sprinkling  of  soot.  It  will 
be  found  that  the  autumn-sown  plants  will  require  some 


io2     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

support  immediately  after  planting ;  small  twigs  of  birch 
placed  round  each  plant  will  keep  them  from  toppling 
about,  and  shelter  them  somewhat  from  the  wind. 

Spring-sown  plants  will  naturally  be  somewhat  shorter 
than  the  others,  and  may  not  require  staking  until  two  or 
three  weeks  have  elapsed  ;  but  if  sticks  or  twigs  are  at  hand 
it  is  just  as  well  to  do  them  right  away,  and  it  will  save 
treading  the  ground  over  twice.  If  the  plants  have  been 
properly  hardened  previous  to  planting  there  is  not  the 
slightest  fear  of  injury  by  frost,  as  I  have  known  instances 
of  from  15°  to  20°  of  frost  the  night  after  planting,  and 
still  the  plants  have  not  suffered ;  the  worst  injury  is  not 
caused  by  cold,  but  by  wet  weather  and  easterly  winds. 
After  placing  the  short  stakes,  fork  the  ground  over  lightly 
between  the  rows,  and  spread  an  old  fish-net  over  the 
whole  patch ;  this  will  protect  the  plants  from  birds  and 
the  wind. 

If  planting  in  clumps  is  preferred,  each  clump,  of  about 
five  or  six  plants,  should  not  be  less  than  4  feet  apart  each 
way,  to  allow  plenty  of  room  for  staking  and  for  getting 
about  among  them.  Other  cultural  conditions  will  be 
exactly  the  same  as  for  plants  in  rows. 

When  the  planting  is  done  there  will  not  be  much  else 
needing  attention  for  some  little  time,  but  strict  observa- 
tions must  be  maintained,  and  applications  of  soot  made  to 
keep  slugs  from  injuring  the  plants.  Wireworm  may  cause 


PLATE  VIII 
MASTERPIECE 


STAKING  105 

a  plant  or  two  to  die,  and  vacancies  of  this  kind  should 
be  made  good,  but  not  before  the  enemy  has  been  found 
and  killed. 

Staking. — When  the  plants  are  from  9  inches  to  i  foot 
high  staking  should  be  done,  and  this  is  a  task  that  necessi- 
tates some  little  trouble.  A  few  years  ago  one  just  staked 
Sweet  Peas  as  an  ordinary  row  of  culinary  Peas,  but  now 
that  more  trouble  is  taken  in  thinning  the  bine  or  haulm, 
staking  has  to  be  done  accordingly.  I  know  no  better 
method  than  putting  a  strong  pole  at  the  end  of  each  row, 
with  one  in  the  centre  if  a  long  row,  with  cross-pieces,  one 
about  3  feet  up  and  the  other  7  to  8  feet.  To  these  cross- 
pieces  strain  a  wire  from  end  to  end,  and  then  use  long 
hazel  stakes,  inclining  them  towards  the  wires,  and  placing 
a  tie  here  and  there  to  make  them  tidy  and  flat.  By 
inclining  the  tops  of  the  stakes  inwards,  and  training  the 
plants  on  the  outside  of  these,  all  the  flowers  will  develop 
freely,  and  not  come  deformed,  as  many  of  them  do,  if 
allowed  to  grow  up  anyhow  between  the  stakes.  This 
method  entails  much  extra  labour,  but  it  results  in  the 
flowers  having  good,  strong,  and  straight  stems,  which 
are  easy  of  arrangement  when  they  are  brought  to  the 
exhibition. 

For  supporting  clumps  it  is  a  good  plan  to  make  a 
strong  wire  hoop,  or  a  twisted  hazel  will  do,  any  size  that 
is  required.  To  this  the  tops  of  the  stakes  can  be  tied, 


io6     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

and  it  will  keep  them  firm  and  prevent  them  being  blown 
about  by  strong  winds. 

Thinning. — It  will  be  found  that  autumn-sown  plants 
will  break  out  pretty  freely  from  the  base,  quite  close  to  the 
ground,  and  if  the  centre  shoot  does  not  appear  to  be 
growing  away  kindly,  cut  this  out,  and  take  up  two  or  three 
of  these  basal  shoots,  but  do  not  on  any  account  overcrowd 
them.  When  they  are  between  18  inches  and  2  feet  high, 
bring  the  shoots  to  the  outside  of  the  stakes  as  advised,  and 
give  a  tie  here  and  there  to  keep  them  in  position.  This 
also  applies  to  the  spring-sown  plants,  except  that  the  main 
shoot  in  this  case  is  sure  to  grow  away  freely,  and  it  is 
only  necessary  to  supplement  these  according  to  the  space 
to  be  filled.  One  shoot  every  4  or  6  inches  is  quite  close 
enough.  As  the  plants  make  growth,  keep  the  ground 
hoed  and  apply  soot  at  least  every  fortnight ;  this  will 
stimulate  the  plants  as  well  as  protect  them.  Beyond 
the  shoots  mentioned,  keep  all  side  growths  pinched  out 
and  tie  the  leaders  as  often  as  necessary ;  but  if  good, 
bushy,  hazel  sticks  are  used  the  tendrils  will  lay  hold 
of  them  well,  so  that  the  tying  will  not  be  a  very  formid- 
able task. 

Mulching,  Feeding,  and  Watering. — The  practice  of 
mulching  Sweet  Peas  heavily  with  strong  manure  as  soon  as 
they  are  staked  is  not  to  be  recommended.  At  the  time  of 
staking  a  sprinkling  of  well-decayed  manure  or  leaf-mould 


MULCHING    REQUIRES    CARE     107 

may  be  given  between  the  two  lots  of  plants  forming  the 
rows,  also  for  about  6  inches  on  either  side,  but  beyond 
this  I  do  not  believe  in  it  unless  there  is  very  protracted 
dry  weather.  Hoeing  has  effects  quite  as  good ;  it  keeps 
the  plants  steadier,  and  does  not  tend  to  make  them  sappy, 
as  is  the  case  with  a  heavy  mulch.  In  heavy  soils  it  takes 
a  long  time  for  the  sun  to  thoroughly  warm  the  ground,  and 
unless  it  is  thoroughly  warm,  good-quality  Peas  cannot  be 
obtained  from  it.  Therefore  do  not  mulch  the  rows  until 
flowering  has  well  commenced  and  there  is  hot,  dry  weather. 
On  lighter  soils  mulching  may  be  done  earlier,  but  on 
either  class  of  soil  choose  moss  litter  or  a  mulch  of  light 
manure,  such  as  fairly  fresh  horse-droppings  mixed  with 
leaf -soil,  rather  than  heavier  material.  This  mulch  can  be 
hoed  over  in  much  the  same  way  as  the  soil,  but  after  it  has 
been  on  some  time  and  the  plants  are  doing  well,  roots  will 
be  found  running  very  freely  among  the  manure.  The 
hoeing  must  then  cease,  and  a  little  more  material  may  be 
added,  but  do  not  on  any  account  use  short  grass-mowings 
except  in  very  small  quantities,  for  in  wet  weather  they 
form  a  slimy  mass  and  hinder  the  air  from  getting  to 
the  roots. 

Sweet  Peas  are  gross  feeders,  but  if  the  soil  is  thoroughly 
well  tilled  and  manured  they  do  not  like  too  much  manure 
afterwards,  for  if  the  roots  can  find  plenty  of  food  in  their 
journey  downwards  the  plants  will  keep  very  strong  for  some 


io8     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

time  after  they  have  commenced  to  bloom.  If,  however, 
they  require  feeding,  give  them  farm-yard  liquid  manure 
about  once  a  week,  alternated  with  waterings  of  clear  water, 
this  latter  only  in  the  event  of  dry  weather.  Do  not  use 
artificial  manures  as  a  regular  thing,  but  rather  rely  on  them 
to  give  a  little  extra  stimulus  just  previous  to  a  show,  and 
one  or  two  waterings  will  generally  suffice.  Nitrate  of  soda, 
nitrate  of  potash,  and  sulphate  of  ammonia  can  each  be 
relied  on  to  give  an  extra  fillip  to  the  plants,  provided  that 
the  ground  has  been  properly  manured  before  planting. 
Either  of  these  should  be  used  two  or  three  weeks  before 
a  show,  and  if  the  weather  is  wet  a  slight  sprinkling  may 
be  given  to  the  ground  on  each  side  of  the  rows,  but  if 
dry  it  is  as  well  to  use  it  in  the  water  at  the  rate  of  }  Ib. 
to  50  gallons  of  water. 

On  dry,  porous  soils,  after  the  plants  are  well  in  bloom, 
they  will  appreciate  any  quantity  of  water,  and  much  more 
manure  than  on  heavy  ground.  On  heavy  land  great  care 
must  be  exercised,  for  an  extra  dose  of  either  manure  or 
water  will  tend  to  make  the  buds  drop,  and  the  blooms 
that  do  open  will  be  thin  and  of  a  poor  colour.  There- 
fore, in  either  feeding  or  watering,  try  to  be  guided  by 
the  requirements  of  the  plants,  and  err  rather  on  the 
under  side  than  the  reverse. 

Preparing:  and  Cutting  the  Blooms. — Many  people 
remove  all  bloom  buds  as  they  appear  until  about  a  fortnight 


BLOOMS    FOR    EXHIBITION      109 

or  so  before  the  exhibition.  This  may  be  wise,  but  I  hardly 
think  so,  particularly  if  the  plants  are  in  vigorous  health, 
for  good  colour  and  refinement  in  the  flower  are  desirable 
qualities ;  extra  coarse  stems,  with  the  blooms  straggling 
here  and  there  at  varying  distances  apart,  are  not  the  only, 
or,  indeed,  the  best  qualities.  By  allowing  the  plants  to 
bloom,  and  cutting  the  spikes  when  the  first  flower  is  open, 
it  will  not  unduly  exhaust  the  plant,  but  it  will  prevent 
coarseness  of  flower  and  the  tendency  of  the  colour  to 
run  and  streak ;  the  stems  also  become  firmer  and  have 
not  the  same  tendency  to  hang  their  heads  when  set  up 
in  a  warm  tent. 

Unfortunately,  there  are  a  few  varieties  that  cannot 
withstand  the  sun,  such,  for  instance,  as  the  orange-shaded 
flowers  and  one  or  two  of  the  crimson  and  scarlet  varieties  ; 
but,  nevertheless,  they  do  not  require  much  shade.  I  have 
seen  various  things  tried  for  shading  purposes,  but  nothing 
answers  so  well  as  old  fish-nets,  three  or  four  thicknesses,  and 
placed  well  away  from  the  plants.  If  this  is  put  on  three 
clear  days  before  the  show  it  will  prove  quite  sufficient,  but 
it  must  be  removed  again  when  not  required,  though  this 
is  really  not  so  imperative  as  when  tiffany  is  used ;  this 
latter  material  excludes  much  air  as  well  as-  light,  and  on 
really  hot  days  the  blooms  will  scald  from  want  of  air  as 
badly  as  they  would  burn  by  the  sun. 

In  cutting  flowers  for  the  show  the  exhibitor  must  be 


no     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

guided  somewhat  by  the  prevailing  weather  conditions,  but, 
generally  speaking,  they  should  be  placed  in  water  for  five 
or  six  hours  before  being  packed  for  travelling.  If  the 
weather  is  dry,  try  to  cut  the  flowers  on  the  evening  before 
the  show,  but  not  after  dew  has  commenced  to  fall.  Place 
them  in  water  in  a  dry,  airy  shed,  and  give  the  blooms  plenty 
of  air  space  between  them.  If  wet  weather  prevails,  then  cut 
the  flowers  several  hours  earlier,  and  place  them  in  vases 
or  jars  in  a  house  where  there  is  just  a  trifle  of  heat,  giving 
plenty  of  air.  They  will  be  found  to  dry  fairly  quickly  if 
treated  in  this  manner,  and,  packed  carefully,  I  have  seen 
them  come  up  fresh  and  unmarked  after  twenty  hours  in 
the  hampers. 

Packing  for  Transmission  to  Show. — Many  methods 
are  employed  for  carrying  the  flowers,  but  flat  hampers 
about  5  inches  deep  are  far  and  away  the  best.  They 
hold  one  layer  of  bunches  only,  so  there  is  no  danger  of 
crushing ;  neither  is  there  much  danger  of  the  flowers  spoil- 
ing through  moisture  accumulating  as  it  does  in  boxes. 
If  the  weather  is  very  hot  and  dry,  line  the  basket  with 
waxed  paper — this  prevents  too  much  evaporation  ;  and  if 
the  blooms  are  wet  and  the  weather  damp,  then  use  very 
soft  tissue-paper,  and  this  will  absorb  a  fair  amount  of  the 
moisture.  Immediately  on  arriving  at  the  show,  endeavour 
to  get  the  flowers  unpacked  and  placed  in  water.  If  this 
can  be  done  four  or  five  hours  before  judging  commences, 


SHOWING    THE    FLOWERS       m 

the  blooms  will  have  every  opportunity  of  looking  their 
best.  If  they  have  been  cut  fairly  young  they  will  grow 
considerably  after  being  put  in  water. 

Setting  up  the  Flowers. — It  is  assumed  that  more 
blooms  will  be  taken  to  the  show  than  are  actually  required ; 
but  do  not  overdo  this.  Choose  the  cleanest  sprays  with 
at  least  three  flowers  on  a  stem,  and  endeavour  to  place 
each  bloom  so  that  it  stands  quite  apart  from  its  neighbour  ; 
a  crowded  vase  generally  gives  the  judge  an  impression 
that  there  is  something  to  hide. 

In  arranging  the  vases  on  the  table,  try  to  give  each 
row  a  fall  of  about  6  inches  from  the  one  behind  it,  and 
place  the  colours  nearest  together  that  form  the  most 
pleasing  combinations,  not  relying  too  much  on  harsh 
contrasts,  but  at  all  times  endeavouring  to  get  as  many 
distinct  shades  into  the  collection  as  possible. 

See  that  each  vase  is  correctly  and  legibly  named,  and 
make  a  point  of  carefully  looking  over  them  to  see  that  no 
stray  bloom  has  crept  into  a  vase,  or  disqualification  will 
result.  In  the  event  of  your  exhibit  not  obtaining  the 
award  looked  for,  do  not  forget  that  the  judges  have  not 
the  biassed  view  of  things  you  are  likely  to  have ;  they 
invariably  do  their  best. 

Varieties  for  Exhibition. — Do  not  grow  too  many 
varieties,  and  do  not  actually  depend  on  a  new  variety  for 
exhibition  until  you  have  tried  a  clump  or  two  to  satisfy 


ii2     PRESENT-DAY    GARDENING 

yourself  as  to  its  merits  and  as  to  the  percentage  of  rogues 
it  is  likely  to  contain. 

A  few  sorts  that  can  be  thoroughly  recommended  as  the 
very  best  in  their  colours  are  : — 

Nora  Unwin  and  Etta  Dyke,  Sunproof  Crimson  (Dobbie) 
and  King  Edward  Spencer,  John  Ingman  and  Marjorie 
Willis,  Clara  Curtis  and  Paradise  Ivory,  Kathleen  M 'Go wan 
and  Zephyr,  Mr.  Hardcastle  Sykes,  Countess  Spencer  and 
Audrey  Crier ;  Mrs.  Henry  Bell  and  Constance  Oliver, 
Helen  Lewis  and  Maggie  Stark,  Rosie  Adams,  Frank  Dolby, 
and  Masterpiece,  Lavender  George  Herbert,  Menie  Christie, 
America  Spencer,  Evelyn  Hemus,  Elsie  Herbert,  Prince 
of  Asturias,  Black  Knight  Spencer,  The  Marquis  and  Mrs. 
Andrew  Ireland. 

A  few  new  ones  that  ought  to  be  tried  as  soon  as  they 
are  procurable  are  Florence  Wright,  Holmes's  Sunproof 
Crimson,  Rosabel,  Charles  Foster,  Syeira  Lee,  Edrom 
Beauty,  Earl  Spencer,  Nancy  Perkin,  Silas  Cole,  Mrs. 
W.  J.  Unwin  and  A.  Unwin. 


CHAPTER   XIV 
A  WORD   OR  TWO   TO   JUDGES 

BEFORE  undertaking  the  onerous  duties  connected  with 
judging,  be  quite  sure  you  have  an  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  varieties,  so  as  to  be  able  to  discriminate  between  two 
or  more  varieties  that  are  nearly  alike.  Endeavour  to  see 
if  there  are  any  of  these  mixed  together  in  one  vase ;  then 
judge  the  different  vases  on  their  merits,  and  do  not  be  biassed 
in  favour  of  or  against  any  particular  variety.  Sweet  Peas  of 
good  colour,  form  of  flower,  with  fair  length  of  stem,  should 
be  placed  before  flowers  that  are  coarse  and  of  poor  colour. 
Crowding  in  the  vases  should  be  rigidly  discouraged,  for 
where  this  occurs  there  are  usually  poor  blooms  that  re- 
quire hiding — possibly  stems  with  only  two  flowers  on  each. 
Where  two  or  more  collections  are  very  nearly  equal,  pre- 
ference should  be  given  to  an  exhibit  that  contains  the  largest 
number  of  distinct  colours,  as  apart  from  different  shades 
of  one  colour.  In  cases  where  collections,  for  some  cause 
or  another,  have  to  be  disqualified,  do  not  hesitate  to  put  on 
the  card  why  such  a  course  has  been  adopted  ;  it  will  teach 
the  exhibitor  what  to  avoid  in  the  future. 

"3  H 


INDEX 


BASIC  slag,  37 

Birds,  72,  75 

Bush  varieties  of  Sweet  Peas,  68 

CLUMPS,  planting  in,  65 
Concentrated  fertilisers,  37 

basic  slag,  37 

kainit,  37 

nitrate  of  soda,  38 

sulphate  of  ammonia,  38 

sulphate  of  potash,  38 

superphosphate  of  lime,  38 
Culture,  for  exhibition,  89 

for  general  purposes,  22 
Cupid  varieties,  68 
Cutting     back     plants     which 
flowered,  59 


have 


DECORATIONS,  Sweet  Peas  for,  66 
Diseases.     See  Enemies  and  diseases 

EARLY  varieties,  6 
Enemies  and  diseases,  70 

birds,  72,  75 

green  fly,  76 

mice,  71 

mould,  78 

slugs,  72 

streak,  78 

yellowing,  78 
Exhibition  culture,  89 

a  word  to  judges,  113 

feeding,  108 

mulching,  106 

packing,  no 

planting,  101 
in  clumps,  102 
in  rows,  101 

preparing  and  cutting  the  blooms,  108 

preparing  soil,  98 

seed  sowing,  90 

indoors  in  autumn,  94 


Exhibition  culture  (seed  sowing) — 
indoors  in  spring,  96 
outdoors  in  autumn,  95 
outdoors  in  spring,  98 
setting  up  the  flowers,  1 1 1 
shading,  108 
staking,  105 
thinning,  106 
varieties,  select,  1 1 1 
watering  the  plants,  108 

GARDEN,  Sweet  Peas  for  the,  64 
General  culture,  22 

essentials  to  success,  23 
Glass,  Sweet  Peas  under,  61 
Green  fly,  76 
Groups,  the  three  great,  1 1 

old  form,  II 

Spencer  form,  12 

Unwin  form,  17 

HISTORY,  4 
Bauhinus,  Johannes,  5 
Burmannis,  Joannis,  5 
Carter  &  Co.,  6 
Cattell,  Mr.,  7 
Cole,  Silas,  9 
Cupani,  the  monk,  4 
Dicks,  S.B.,  5 
Eckford,  Henry,  7 
Hurst  &  Son,  7 
Laxton,  Thomas,  7 
Mason,  Mr.,  6 
Morrison,  Robert,  5 
Noble,  Cooper  &  Bolton,  7 
Ray,  John,  5 
Sutton  &  Sons,  7 
Sydenham,  Robert,  9 
Uvedale,  Dr.,  4 

INTRODUCTION,  i 
JUDGES,  A  Word  to,  113 


no 


INDEX 


KAINIT,  37 

LATHYRUS,  distoplatyphyllos,  hirsutis, 
mollis,  magno  et  peramseno,  flore 
odoratissimo,  purpureo,  4 
major  e  Sicilise,  5 
Zeylanicus,  5 
Library,  In  the,  86 
Liquid  manure,  56 

MANURING,  34 

basic  slag,  37 

concentrated  fertilisers,  37 

intelligence  in  application,  34 

kainit,  37 

light  soil,  36 

methods  of,  35 

natural  manures,  34 

night  soil,  35 

nitrate  of  soda,  38 

strong  soil,  35 

sulphate  of  ammonia,  38 

sulphate  of  potash,  38 

superphosphate  of  lime,  38 
Mice,  71 
Mould,  78 
Mulching,  59 

NIGHT  soil,  35 
Nitrate  of  soda,  38 
Nitro-culture,  60 

PARAFFIN  wash,  77 
Planting  out,  51 

SEED  sowing,  39 
autumn,  40 

birds,  protection  from,  43 
chipping  the  seeds,  46 
depth  of  sowing,  47 
distances  between  lines,  49 
distances  in  lines,  48 
in  drills,  47 

in  shallow  trenches,  47 
large  versus  small  pots,  40 
mice,  protection  from,  43 


Seed  sowing- 
small,  shrivelled  seeds,  45 

soil  for,  45 

split  seeds,  46 

spring-sowing,  43 

white  seeds,  45 
Slugs,  72 
Smooth  form,  II 
Soil  for,  24 

depth,  24 

digging,  24 

heavy,  29 

light,  31 

preparation,  24 

time  of  working,  29 

trenching,  27 
Spencer  form,  12 
Streak,  78 

Sulphate  of  ammonia,  38 
Sulphate  of  potash,  38 
Superphosphate  of  lime,  38 
Supporting  the  plants,  49 

sticks,  50 

tying,  50 

wire,  50 

TELEMLY  varieties,  62 
Tobacco  water,  77 

UNDER  glass  culture,  61 
Unwin  form,  17 

VARIETIES,  making,  19 
amateurs'  successes  in,  20 
fifty  standard,  £o 
Mendelian  laws,  20 
new  colours  wanted,  19 
Telemly,  62 
winter-flowering,  62 

WATERING  and  feeding,  5  5 
Winter-flowering  Sweet  Peas,  62 

YELLOWING,  disease  known  as,  78 


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